The draw for the 2109 Scottish Cup was made this week, with Ayr coming out of the hat with an away tie to near neighbours Irvine on 9 June.

20 January 2019

Sportsmans Dinner

This years sportsmans dinner will be held on Saturday 20th April. Tables of 8/10 available, tickets £30 per head. Speakers are former Manchester United and Rangers footballer Jimmy Nicholl and former SPL referee Bobby Tait. Please get in touch with Ross Mitchell or Dougie Johnstone to book a table.​

1 December 2018

Con de Lange Charity Day

Well done to our footballing heroes who took part in the football charity day organised by John Blain at Grange for the Brain Tumour Organisation following the recent news that Clydesdale professional Con de Lange had been diagnosed with a brain tumour almost a year ago. The event raised over £10000

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3 November 2018

Awards Night

The club held their Players Awards tonight with Scott McElnea picking up the Player of the Year. The other awards went to

Jonny Baines - Young Player of the YearNari Bhandari -Supporters Player of the YearRichard Borland - 2nd XI Player of the YearNorman Wilson - Supporter of the Year​Harry Boyd - Davie J Award

25 Aug 2018

​1st XI relegated

There was huge disappointment for the club on Saturday when at 3.00pm at Greenock’s ground Glenpark the umpires abandoned the home clubs match against Poloc without a ball being bowled and sealing Ayr’s fate for the season and relegating them to the First Division of the Western Union for next year. At the start of the day Ayr were needing to win their match away to Dumfries and for Poloc to beat Greenock to overturn the percentage difference between the two clubs, but with the abandonment of the game all other results became irrelevant.The match at Dumfries also ended in disappointment as they ended the season with a heavy defeat losing by 168 runs. The day had started well with Kenroy Peters taking a wicket in the first over and then an excellent run by Richie Simpson left the Doomhamers struggling at 21-2 before Chris Belwood (93) set about the recovery and was closing in on his century when he was clean bowled by Scott McElnea. There then followed some late order hitting by Stuart Corbett-Byers (74) saw Dumfries finish on 242-9 in their 50 overs. In reply Ayr were always in trouble losing early wickets and only three batsmen reaching double figures, former Ayr player Alan Davidson doing the damage with the ball taking 8-19 as they were bowled out for 74.

15 Aug 2018

Ferguslie win McCulloch Cup

Ayr travelled to Greenock’s ground Glenpark on Wednesday night to take on Ferguslie in the Final of the McCulloch Cup. In far from ideal conditions after heavy rain throughout the day leaving the outfield very damp both teams put on a very good performance in a match that ebbed and flowed from the beginning. Ayr got off to an excellent start dismissing Scotland A star Michael English for only two and he was soon followed by David Stafford who was bowled by Scott McElnea. Moses and Ahmed then set about recovering the Ferguslie innings before McElnea claimed another two wickets and with some calamitous running claiming another couple the Paisley men were reduced to 95-8 before some hard hitting from Haroon Tahir saw them closed their innings at 122-9. McElnea finishing with the excellent figures of 4-26. The Ayr reply did not start well, losing Michael Miller early and he was soon followed by Shujja Khan and Andi McElnea, before Anwar Hafeez and Scott McElnea got the innings back on track, but once they had departed wickets continued to tumble and they were bowled out for 103, to give Ferguslie their second trophy in five days.

11 Aug 2018

Victory over Poloc boosts league survival

Ayr recorded an excellent victory at home to Poloc on Saturday to boost their chances of survival in the Western Union. Asked to bat after Poloc won the toss they got off to a great start with Andi McElnea (113) and Anwar Hafeez (109) putting on 196 for the first wicket. After they had departed a quickfire 35 not out of 19 balls from Scott McElnea kept the momentum going as they finished on 305-4in their 50 overs. In reply Poloc got off to a solid start but were always behind the run rate thanks to some tight Ayr bowling and wickets falling at regular intervals. Only the visitor’s South African overseas players Synman and Nel added any impetus to the innings but once they had departed their chance of victory ended as they finished on 262-9 to leave Ayr victorious by 43 runs. There were two wickets each for Johnny Baines, Anwar Hafeez and Pushkar Bhandari.

4 Aug 2018

Prestwick Complete League Double

Defeat away to local rivals Prestwick on Saturday has left Ayr struggling for survival in the Western Union. Batting first they were bowled out for 92, never recovering from losing two early wickets in the first three overs. In reply Prestwick were also in early trouble as opening bowlers Kenroy Peters and Scott McElnea both struck early but Jawad (41) and Rafiq (29no) steadied the ship and saw the home team to their target as they finished on 94-5 with 20 overs remaining. ​

31 July 2018

McCulloch Cup Final team announced

The team for tomorrow nights McCulloch Cup Final against Ferguslie at Glenpark has been announced

An inexperienced Cambusdoon XI recorded an excellent victory away to Torrance House. Put into bat in a match reduced to 40 overs after delayed start due to early morning rain they lost Matthew Baines early, but a stand of 98 between Robbie Henderson (36) and Matthew Cooper with his first senior fifty took them to 113-1 before a batting collapse saw them eventually bowled out for 150. In reply Torrance House were in early trouble as opening bowlers Matthew Baines and Nari Bhandari both struck early to reduce them to 12-4 before they made a slight recovery only for Dipesh Kharel to rip out the middle order. Bhandari and Baines then returned to each claim a further wicket before an excellent piece of fielding from Robbie Henderson claimed the run out to seal the victory, Baines finished with figures of 4-14, Kharel 3-21 and Bhandari 2-34.

The 1st XI game at home to Stirling County was abandoned without a ball being bowled after heavy overnight rain and again in the morning

24 July 2018

Development XI victory at Vale of Leven

An excellent 88 from Harry Boyd and 40 from Pushkar Bhandari helped the Development XI to 182-4 and set Vale of Leven a challenging total to chase. Some tight bowling early in the innings from Matthew Baines left the home team always behind the required run rate and they ended their allocation of overs on 110-4.

21 July 2018

Victory at West boosts League survival

An excellent all round performance from Scott McElnea helped Ayr to overcome West of Scotland and boost their chance of survival in the Premier Division. McElnea top scored with 50 in the Ayr innings of 181-9 and then took 3-25 as West were bowled out 169. The day had not started well for Ayr as after being asked to bat were in early trouble at 39-4 before a stand of 38 between Richie Borland and McElnea stabilised the innings. When Borland departed a further stand of 53 with Kenroy Peters took the score 130-6 but a further flurry of wickets left them struggling before Johnny Baines (27no) and Lloyd Jefferson helped them to a respectable total of 181-9 in their 50 overs. In reply Shujja Khan struck early to remove Fennah but a stand of 121 between Watson (54) and Young (61) appeared to have West in the driving seat, but a batting collapse saw them lose seven wickets for 24 runs as Ayr won by 12 runs

18 July 2018

Semi Final Victory in McCulloch Cup

Ayr travelled to Uddingston for the McCulloch Cup Semi Final and recorded a comfortable victory winning by 55 runs. Batting first they scored 114-8, a total which the resident experts and pundits thought was slightly below par. Richie Simpson top scoring with 32. In reply some tight bowling and fielding soon put them on top with Scott McElnea and Kenroy Peters striking early to put Uddingston on the back foot and when Shujja Khan dismissed the always dangerous Ross Lyons with a ball that kept a little low any possible fightback came to an end as they were bowled out for 59, There were 3 wickets for Anwar Hafeez and two each for Shujja Khan and Johnny Baines

10 July 2018

​Borland fifty seals victory over Clydesdale

An excellent knock of 58 not out from Richie Borland saw the Development XI to a comfortable victory over Clydesdale at Cambusdoon. After restricting the visitors to 131-4 Borland guided the innings home as they won by 8 wickets with almost three overs to spare.

3 July 2018

Development XI defeat BBC

The Development XI took on the BBC in the Evening League. Batting first they scored an impressive 175-2 with youngsters Richie Simpson (89) and Pushkar Bhandari (50no) doing the damage with the bat. In reply they restricted the visitors to 147-4 to win by 28 runs.

30 June 2018

​Last over agony against Uddingston

Andi McElnea again won the toss and asked Uddingston to bat and in sweltering heat the visitors were bowled out for 253 with South African Jimmy Sholto-Douglas top scoring with 101. Ayr got their innings off to a solid start in their reply with Anwar Hafeez and Michael Miller (32) putting on 71 for the first wicket. On Millers departure he was soon followed by skipper McElnea before Shujja Khan (35) joined Hafeez to get the run chase back on track. But as wickets started to fall the run rate started to creep up and they went into the last over needing ten runs to win and then six off the last ball to tie but Hafeez could only manage a single as he finished on 108no and the total on 248-7. ​

27 June 2018

​Quarter Final victory in McCulloch Cup

Skipper Andi McElnea won the toss and chose to bat and then helped set the visitors a challenging target as they posted 145-6 in their 20 overs. McElnea himself top scoring with 60. In reply Kelburne were always struggling after Kenroy Peters had struck early losing wickets at regular intervals whilst always behind the run rate and were eventually bowled out for 98 in the last over. Pushkar Bhandari the pick of the bowlers finishing with figures of 4-19.

24 June 2018

Development XI win nail biter against Irvine

23 June 2018

​Victory at home to Dumfries

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21 June 2018

​Rowan Cup campaign ends at Stirling

19 June 2018

​Development lose to Victoria in rain

17 June 2018

​Development XI fall to defeat at West

16 June 2018

Narrow Defeat at home to Clydesdale

There was disappointment for Ayr as they fell to a narrow defeat against Clydesdale at Cambusdoon on Saturday. In one of only two Western Union games to take place due to the inclement weather play eventually got underway with the game reduced to 25 overs. On winning the toss the visitors put Ayr into bat and soon had them in trouble taking wickets at regular intervals with only Scott McElnea (29) and Puskhar Bhandari (17no) able to trouble the Clydesdale bowlers as they finished on 92-9 in their allocation of overs. In the Clydesdale reply Kenroy Peters struck early removing the dangerous Paddy Barbour, but a second wicket partnership between Sturgess and Awan swung the game back in the visitors favour even with some tight Ayr bowling, but when Sturgess was run out, Peters struck again with two wickets in successive balls to give Ayr a glimmer of hope and further strikes from the McElnea brothers, Scott and Andi made for some tense final overs, but Anwan (44 not out) saw the visitors home with ten balls to spare.​

14 June 2018

Hector washes out Rowan Cup tie

Tonights Rowan Cup match against Stirling has been cancelled after storm Hector blew the covers off at New Williamfield last night

13 June 2018

McCulloch Cup game washed out

Tonights McCulloch Cup game against GHK has been abandoned due to todays heavy rain

9 June 2018

​Heavy defeat away to Poloc

It was a disappointing day for Ayr as they lost away to Poloc in the league. After winning the won the toss and batting were soon in trouble as they lost early wickets and were reduced to 74-7 before an eighth wicket partnership of 94 between Scott McElnea (77) and Pushkar Bhandari (42no) rescued the innings as they reached a respectable total of 190-9 in their 50 overs. Sadly, their score was not to be enough as Poloc cruised to their target for the loss of only one wicket.​Back in Ayr the Cambusdoon XI hosted Shawholm . Batting first they scored a respectable 236 ao with captain Ross Mitchell top scoring with 94, he received good support from Richie Borland (53) . The visitors reply was based around an unbeaten 131 from opening batsmen Sajaad who saw his team home with six overs to spare.

7 June 2018

Evening League Victory at Weirs

The Development XI recorded a fine victory as they won away at Weirs . The home team batted first and were restricted to 126 in their 20 overs. A total that the youthful team chased down for the loss of two wickets with Richie Simpson top scoring with 51 not out.

6 June 2018

​Irvine inflict first defeat in McCulloch Cup

Ayr travelled to Irvine in the McCulloch Cup where they set their hosts a target of 121. The main contribution coming from a stand of 60 between Michael Miller (37) and Scott McElnea (29). In reply Irvine were always ahead of the run rate and despite a flurry of late wickets reached their target with ten balls to spare.

3 June 2018

​Cambusdoon XI defeat St. Ninians

The Cambusdoon XI recorded their second victory of the season beating local rivals St. Ninians on Sunday at the Henry Thow Oval. The home team batted first and were bowled out for 218, David Carlyle top scoring with 46 and Harry Boyd taking 4-74 and Johnny Baines 3-28. In reply all of the batsmen were able to make a start but no one going on to make a big score but were able to get over the winning line in the last over thanks to a run a ball 38 not out from the in form Richie Borland.​

2 June 2018

​Prestwick win Masterton Scott Trophy

Prestwick claimed the bragging rights on Saturday with a comfortable but hard fought win over Ayr at Cambusdoon to claim the Masterton Scott Trophy and Fraser Macdonald won the first Grant Stanley man of the match award for his innings of 64. Prestwick captain Shazad Rafiq had earlier won the toss and asked Ayr to bat and the home team were soon in trouble as they were reduced to 29-3 before Kenroy Peters and Shujja Khan made a slight recovery but following Khan’s dismissal to an excellent catch of his own bowling by Sachin Chaudry the Ayr batting continued to struggle and they were eventually bowled out for 130 with only Peters (46) making any impact on the Prestwick bowling. Chasing the small total, the visitors were in soon in trouble losing Rafiq in the first over, but man of the match MacDonald held the innings together with some assistance from Mitchell Rao against some tight Ayr bowling as they inched their way towards their target which they reached comfortably with almost six overs to spare.

30 May 2018

​Local Derby Victory

​Victory over local rivals Prestwick moved Ayr a step closer to the quarter finals of the McCulloch Cup. After winning the toss Prestwick batted first and a couple of tight overs from the Ayr opening bowlers Fazal Jawad started to find the boundary and increase the run rate. At the other end the bowlers kept chipping away taking wickets and gaining back control and helped by the unfortunate injury to Jawad who appeared to pull a muscle while taking a quick single which restricted his movement and allowed Harry Boyd to lure him into a mistake as he was caught on the mid-wicket boundary by Richie Borland. Following his departure for 60 the run rate dried up and the innings finished on 138-8.

​The Ayr reply got off to a flying start with Anwar Hafeez and Michael Miller finding the boundary with great regularity as they raced along at ten an over and when Miller departed for 32, captain Andi McElnea (20no) joined Hafeez (75no) to continue the onslaught on the Prestwick attack as they raced to victory with almost 4 overs to spare.

26 May 2018

Stirling Retain Iffla Trophy

Ayr travelled to Stirling on Saturday in a league match which also had the Iffla Trophy being played for. Stirling won the toss and batted, making a solid start before Scott McElnea dismissed both openers. The Ayr bowlers continued to take wickets at regular intervals and were able to bowl out the home team for 178 with three wickets each for Scott McElnea and Shujja Khan. In reply Ayr got of to a confident start with an opening stand of fifty but wickets then fell at regular intervals with Kenroy Peters (57) and Anwar Hafeez (32) making any impact on the home bowling as they were bowled out for 164, their cause not helped by a hand injury to last man Callum Leck which had him struggling to hold the bat with two hands.

24 May 2018

​Rowan Cup victory at home to Greenock

​​Ayr got their 2018 Rowan Cup campaign with a comfortable victory at home to Greenock. Visiting captain Neil Flack won the toss and chose to bat on another gloriously sunny evening, but the Ayr bowlers were always in control, restricting Greenock to 113-5, John Hempsey top scoring with 50 not out. The Ayr reply got off to a terrible start losing inform batsmen Anwar Hafeez and Andi McElnea with only four on the board, but Richie Simpson followed up his fine performance of the previous evening scoring 46 not out and got great support from Niall McCrossin 56 not out as they won with more than 4 overs to spare.

23 May 2018

​Ayr remain unbeaten in McCulloch Cup

​Ayr remain unbeaten in the McCulloch Cup after an emphatic win over GHK at Cambusdoon. Ayr won the toss and batted first with an opening stand of 162 between Anwar Hafeez ( 82) and Richie Simpson (66) with his first half century for the 1st XI, as they set the visitors a daunting task of chasing down their total of 207-5, a target which proved too much for them as they were bowled out for 142 with three wickets each for Anwar Hafeez and Pushkar Bhandari

16 May 2018

​Victory over Irvine in McCulloch Cup

​Ayr started their defence of the McCulloch Cup with a comfortable victory over Irvine at Cambusdoon. An opening stand of 133 between Anwar Hafeez (80) and Michael Miller (61) set them on their way to an impressive total of 173-4 which proved too much for the visitors who despite a late flurry by overseas amateur Bevan Carlse (43 no) finished well short on 141-5.

15 May 2018

Victory at Torrance House

​The Development XI travelled to East Kilbride to face Torrance House in the Western Cup and left with a victory by 45 runs. Batting first they scored 138-3 with Ross Mitchell (55 no) and Richie Simpson (20) top scoring. They then bowled their hosts out for 93 with skipper Harry Boyd taking 5-22 and Nari Bhandari 2-4

13 May 2018

​Ayr v Grange

On Sunday Grange were the visitors to Cambusdoon in the first round of the Scottish Cup. Ayr batted first and posted 220-8 with Anwar Hafeez (95 no) top scoring and received good support from Andi McElnea (33). The Grange reply got off to a flying start with ex-Scotland internationalist Gordon Goudie (43) and Ryan Flannigan (89 no) putting the Ayr bowlers to the sword with some clean striking. A couple of quick wickets gave Ayr a glimmer of hope, but ex Scotland captain Preston Mommsen (38 no) joined Flannigan to see the visitors to comfortable victory.

12 May 2018

​Cambusdoon v Meikleriggs

At Cambusdoon Meiklriggs completed a Paisley double defeating the Cambusdoon XI in the Reserve League fixture. Batting first they scored 324-5 against a young inexperienced attack, a total which proved too much for the home side as they were bowled out for 169 with the main contributions coming from Richie Borland (60) and Callum Henderson (31).

12 May 2018

​Ferguslie v Ayr​Ayr travelled to Paisley to take on Ferguslie in the Western Union. The home team won the toss and batted first posting 242-5, Michael English top scoring with 77 before being dismissed by Callum Leck. Ayr struggled in their reply losing wickets at regular intervals as they were bowled out for 69 with only Kenroy Peters (21) and Anwar Hafeez (18) having any impact on the Ferguslie attack.​

10 May 2018

Veterans Day

Saturday June 16th

All ex players and supporters are invited to join us for a day of reminiscing and catching up with old team mates whilst watching the first team take on Clydesdale in the Western Union. All eras welcome.Rhona will be providing sandwiches on arrival and a hot buffet mid afternoon for £10 a head. Please contact Howard Jefferson to book food. (Howard840@btinternet.com)

9 May 2018

​McCulloch Cup

​Tonights McCulloch Cup game against Prestwick was cancelled due to the heavy rain this afternoon

​5 May 2018

​Victory at home to Greenock

Ayr eventually got their Western Union campaign underway with a convincing victory at home to Greenock. Skipper Andi McElnea won a crucial toss and put the visitors into bat on a substitute pitch after the umpires decided that playing on the original would be too close to a large damp patch on the outfield. New professional Kenroy Peters got his season of to a flier taking a wicket in each of his first two overs and with Scott McElnea chipping in from the other end the visitors were soon reduced to 12-3, a position they were not to recover from as the Ayr bowlers continued to dominate and bowled them out for 84 with Andi McElnea finishing with figures of 4-2. In reply Ayr were never in any real trouble and reached their target for the loss of only one wicket with Anwar Hafeez (27no) and Andi McElnea (37no) seeing them home with more than 25 overs to spare.5 May 2018

​Disappointment for Cambusdoon XI

The Cambusdoon XI travelled to Paisley to take on Whitehaugh. Batting first they struggled on the damp pitch and were bowled out for 91, a total which seemed a little short, but some fine bowling by the young spinners Callum Henderson (3-17) and Harry Boyd (2-23) almost pulled off an improbable victory as the home team made their target for the loss of seven wickets.​

29 April 2018

Rain Wins Again

​Heavy rain which managed to seep under the covers on Friday night put paid to Ayr's Western Union opener against Uddingston at Bothwell Policies. The Cambusdoon XI faired only slightly better, managing to complete the first 50 overs in their Reserve League fixture at home to Bothwell who scored 243-7, Angus Craig was pick of the bowlers taking 3-34.

22 April 2018

​Rain Stops Play Again

​For the second week in a row, rain brought an early end to proceedings in the final pre-season friendly against GHK at Cambusdoon. Early morning led to a delayed start and a reduction to 30 overs per side. Ayr won the toss and decided to bat, scoring 178-4, Anwar Hafeez (57) and Michael Miller (50) putting on 108 for the first wicket and Scott McElnea (27) adding some impetuous to the end of the innings with a couple of thumping sixes. in the GHK reply only eight overs were possible before the persistent rain ended the game with the score on 47-0.

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21 April 2018

​Victory at Home to Victoria

​​Ayr hosted Victoria today at Cambusdoon, the visitors very kindly having filled in at the last minute after Stenhousemuir sadly had to call off on Thursday night. With the weather more favourable than the previous weekend and the sun shining, Victoria won the toss and chose to bat first but were soon in trouble as Scott McElnea struck twice to reduce the visitors to 14-2 before they recovered to 61-2 only for Pushkar Bhandari to strike twice in the one over as they were eventually bowled out for 161. Bhandari finishing with figures of 4-36, McElnea 3-15 and Callum Leck 3-42. In reply Ayr lost Michael Miller early with only one on the board before Anwar Hafeez (56) and Andi McElnea (59) put on a century stand before retiring. Richie Simpson (22) and Niall McCrossin (29) saw them reach their target with almost 15 overs to spare.

​Again thanks to Victoria for coming down and giving both team the opportunity to get some match practice in before the league starts next week

15 April

Rain Stops Play

​After Saturdays friendly against Poloc being cancelled after the heavy rain on Friday play did start at 12.00 on Sunday in the friendly against Ferguslie but sadly only 27 overs were possible before persistent rain brought an early end to play with the score on 85-3, Michael Miller top scoring with 48.

​​The WDCU have announced the 2018 Western Union fixtures and Ayr will begin their campaign away to Uddingston at Bothwell Policies on the 28th April. The Cambusdoon XI start in the reverse fixture at home to Bothwell.

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2018 Season

With the new season fast approaching the Club are delighted to announce their two new overseas signings for the forthcoming season. West Indian, bowling all-rounder Kenroy Peters will arrive as professional/coach and Brandon Harwood from South Africa as overseas amateur.

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Kenroy Peters

Peters from the Windward Islands played one Test for the West Indies against South Africa in 2014 and comes to the club with a good reputation as a coach and will hopefully have a positive influence on the juniors and help produce our players of the future.

Harwood played for Irvine last year in the 1st Division scoring 376 runs and taking 31 wickets.

11 November 2017

Awards Night

​Saturday saw our Players Awards Dinner take place at Cambusdoon with captain Andi McElnea picking up two awards. The evening as usual started with Scott McElnea giving his entertaining overview of the season, before the awards were handed out.

​Andi McElnea and Shujja Khan with their awards

Player of the Year - Andi McElnea​Young Player of the Year - Shujja KhanSupporters Player of the Year - Andi McElnea​Cambusdoon XI Player of the Year - Callum Henderson ​Supporter of the Year - Kevin Boyd​Davie J Award - Callum Leck

​​Congratulations to last years professional Michael Papps who started of the new season in New Zealand in record breaking form scoring 316 not out, his highest first class score, for Wellington against Auckland in the Plunket Shield. Papps already holds a number of records for his batting exploits n his homeland and this innings has added a few more to the list.

25 October 2017.

​Grant Stanley

It is with much sadness that news came from Australia this week of the death of Grant Stanley. ‘Stanners’ was twice professional and coach at the club, first in the 70’s and the again in the late 80’s and early 90’s. In the intervening period he was also professional at both Prestwick and Kilmarnock. During all this time in Scotland he scored over 16000 runs and took over 1500 wickets. On hanging up his boots he went into coaching and for a number of years was coach to the Singapore national team and latterly at Singapore University, a team which he brought over on tour to Scotland and Ayr in 2013. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.

13 August 2017

Narrow defeat for Development XI

A very youthful team fell to a narrow defeat at home to Victoria, who set them an imposing target after being bowled out for 262, Matthew Baines taking 5-40 and Harry Boyd 3-63. While always behind the run rate the young team put up a great effort in their run chase, with a century stand between Matthew Baines (43) and big brother Johnny (51), 30 from Richie Simpson and a quickfire 43 from Harry Boyd as they finished on 241-9.​

12 August 2017

​Defeat at Titwood

Defeat away to Clydesdale ended Ayr’s slim hope of Western Union glory. In a match reduced to 45 overs after early morning rain, Ayr batted first and struggled to 153-9, Andi McElnea continuing his good run of form to top score with 44. In reply Clydesdale were never in any real trouble despite Scott McElnea claiming the early wicket of the dangerous Awais for one, reaching their target without losing any further wickets.​

9 July 2017​Victory in McCulloch Cup Final

Wednesday night saw Ayr claim their first silverware of the season when beat Poloc at Bothwell Polocies in the McCulloch Cup Final. Ayr won the toss and batted first and got off to a solid start with Papps and Smith putting on fifty for the first wicket, before both fell in quick succession. On their departure the run rate slowed and wickets started to fall regularly, but the innings was held together by Shujja Khan (32no) as they finished on 118-8 in their twenty overs. The Poloc innings started off on a similar vain with the openers putting on fifty for the first wicket before Andi McElnea and his spin colleagues, Callum Leck and Michael Papps started to make inroads into the Poloc batting, slowing down the run rate and eventually leaving them needing 17 of the last over for victory and off the second ball an excellent throw from the deep from Matt Crawshaw saw Lewis James run out. McElnea finishing with figures of 3-12 and two wickets each for Papps and Leck.​

8 August 2017

​Victory at East Kilbride

The Development XI recorded a fine victory away to East Kilbride in the Evening League on Tuesday. Batting first they posted a challenging total of 137-4, Callum Rodger top scoring with 77 and Matthew Baines (30) providing the main support. They then bowled out their hosts for 118 with two wickets each for Harry Boyd, Callum Rodger and Johnny Baines. ​

5 August 2017

Prestwick win local Derby

Ayr lost ground in their quest for the Western Union title to local rivals Prestwick who defeated them at Cambusdoon by 43 runs.The visitors won the toss and chose to bat first but were soon in trouble as Scott McElnea removed openers Rafiq and Jawad with only three on the board and struck shortly after to remove Luke Smith before Sachin Chaudry and Ross Patterson went about rebuilding the innings, Chaudry cementing the innings with an excellent 108 as they finished on 227 in their 50 overs. The Ayr reply got off to an equally shaky start with the in form openers Smith and Papps falling early leaving Andi McElnea (61) and Shujja Khan (45) to do the rebuilding, putting on a century stand for the third wicket. But on their departure with the required run rate increasing wickets started to fall and they were bowled out for 184.

29 July 2017

Victory for 1st and 2nd XI's

​​Both senior teams recorded victories to maintain their positions in their respective leagues. At Cambusdoon, Ayr got off to solid start after being asked to bat first by Greenock with useful contributions from Neil Smith (29), Michael Papps (41) and Andi McElnea (34) before an excellent 75 not out from Matt Crawshaw saw them finish on 237-9 after their 50 overs. The Greenock reply was interrupted by rain after drinks and on commencement they were set a target of 222 of 45 overs, but when rain returned the visitors were 6 behind the target on 165-6 with no more play possible.

​At Coatbridge it was a much more straightforward victory for the Cambusdoon XI as they recorded a six wicket victory over Langloan. The home team batted first and were restricted to 169-8 with Harry Boyd taking 3-51 and two wickets each for Richie Borland and Pushkar Bhandari. Another fine innings from Lloyd Jefferson (58) got the Cambusdoon innings off to a fine start before 30 not out from Niall McCrossin saw them win with almost 13 overs to spare.

25 July 2017

​The Development XI made it two victories in a row the Evening League with a comfortable victory against Vale of Leven at Milburn Park. The home team scored 131-6 in their 20 over, with Lloyd Jefferson taking 2-27. The reply was built around 71 not out from Matthew Baines, his second fifty in successive games. He got good support from Lloyd Jefferson (21) and brother Johnny 26 not out as they won with more than two overs to spare.

23 July 2017​A young and inexperienced Development XI recorded a fine victory against Weirs at Cambusdoon. The visitors batted first and were bowled out for 127 with two wickets each for Lloyd Jefferson, Nari Bhandari, Harry Boyd and Callum McCormick. The Cambusdoon reply got off to a difficult start and they were soon 40-5 until an excellent stand between Matthew Baines and Pushkar Bhandari saw them over the line as they won by four wickets, with Baines finishing on 53 not out to record his first senior half century.

22 July 2017

Victory for Cambusdoon XI

Rain was again the winner this weekend as Ayr’s game away to Poloc was one of the many to fall foul of the inclement weather. One of the few games to survive was the Cambusdoon XI’s match against Shawholm where an excellent stand between Ross Mitchell (86no) and Niall McCrossin (102) helped them recover from the loss of three early wickets as they finished on 255-7. In reply Shawholm were struggling at 30-2 after two quick wickets by Lloyd Jefferson, when the intervention of rain led to play being suspended until 7.00 pm with the Shawholm innings then being reduced to 20 overs and their target revised to 143 under the DLS system. A target that was to prove too much for the visitors after three quick wickets from Callum Henderson slowed their progress and they eventually finished on 86-5.

18 July 2017

The Development XI recorded their first victory in the Evening League by beating Hillhead at Hughenden. The Cambusdoon men batted first posting 125-8 in their 20 overs. Matt Crawshaw top scoring with 37. They then restricted their hosts to 96-8 with Callum Henderson taking 3-11 and two wickets each for Pushkar Bhandari and George Pilley.

12 July 2017

Rain led to the cancellation of almost all cricket on Saturday including Ayr’s clash with Uddingston at Cambusdoon. The only senior match played was the match between the Development XI and BBC in the Evening League at Titwood. Batting first the BBC scored 178-6 with Nari Bhandari pick of the bowlers taking 2-23. In reply they got off to a solid start with Callum Rodger (51) and Lloyd Jefferson (63no), his first fifty in senior cricket, putting on 97 for the first wicket, but were always struggling to keep up with the run rate and fell 10 runs short of their target on 169-2.​

8t July 2017

​Ayr fell to their first defeat in six matches when they lost to Ferguslie at Meiklriggs in a high scoring game. Batting first Ferguslie posted an impressive 276-5 with fifties for Gregor Preston Jones, Michael English and James Holt. The Ayr reply got off to a disappointing start with the early loss of Neil Smith and struggled to keep up with the required run rate early on, but lifted the tempo as the game moved on, only to fall short by twenty runs. There were useful contributions from Michael Papps (56), Michael Miller (50), Scott McElnea (40), Shujja Khan (38) and a quick fire 24 not out from Matthew McClymont.

​The Cambusdoon XI beat Meiklriggs. Bowling the visitors out for 138 they reached there target for the loss of only three wickets. Robbie Henderson (37) and Callum Henderson (28 not out) doing the damage with he bat as they won with 25 overs to spare.

30 June 2017

​Victory at Dumfries

​Ayr recorded a nine wicket victory at Dumfries to move into 2nd place in the Western Union. After bowling out the home team for 215 with Shujja Khan claiming career best figures of 6-34, openers Neil Smith (92) and Michael Papps (97 no) put on 200 for the first wicket as they raced to victory with 12 overs to spare.

​At home the Cambusdoon XI beat Nunholm by 66 runs. Posting 248-9 with Ross Mitchell (52) and Richard Borland (46) making the major contributions, they then bowled the visitors out for 182 with Harry Boyd taking 3-45.

28 June 2017

Victory at Uddingston in McCulloch Cup Quarter Final

Ayr reached the semi final of the McCulloch Cup with victory away to Uddingston. Some accurate bowling restricted the home team to 103 -5 before Michael Papps with 57 not out steered Ayr to victory and a home tie against Ferguslie next month.

25 June 2017

Scottish Cup Exit

​​This years Scottish Cup campaign came to an end with defeat at home to Watsonions as the visitors chased down Ayr's total of 208-6, skipper Andi McElnea top scoring with 70 as he put on 127 with Matt Crawshaw (62) for the fourth wicket. Mike Carson with 96 not out led Watsonions to their target with fourteen overs to spare.

24 June 2017

Comfortable victory at home to Kelburne

​The 1st XI recorded a comfortable victory at home to Kelburne winning by 77 runs. Setting Kelburne a target of 305 for victory after Neil Smith (87) and Michael Papps (117) put on 187 for the first wicket and quick fire 39 off 18 balls from Scott McElnea as they finished on 304-6, before bowling Kelburne out for 227.

17 June 2017

Double success on Saturday

​Both senior teams recorded victories on Saturday. The 1st XI won by 71runs away to East Kilbride, with captain Andi McElnea claiming 5 wickets while the Cambusdoon XI beat Partick by 5 wickets, David johnstone producing a match winning innings of 91.

Next week Cambusdoon will host the Intercontinental Cup match between Scotland and Namibia on​ June 6-9. Entry is free with play beginning at 11.00

17 May 2017

McCulloch Cup match abandoned

​Tonight's McCulloch Cup match against Irvine was abandoned after two of the home teams players were injured in a collision on the boundary as they attempted a catch from a straight drive by Michael Papps with the score at 69-1 in the 9th over.

15 April 2017

​​Stirling retain Iffla Trophy with a comfortable victory by 104 runs. Full scorecard can be found in 2017 RESULTS

20 March 2017

​The Club were saddened to learn of the passing of former Club President and Captain Hunter Cosh late last week. He was capped 42 times by Scotland, scoring 988 runs with a top score of 99. Thoughts of all at the club are with his friends and family. His funeral service will be take place at Masonhill Crematorium on Friday 24 March at 3.30 pm

25 February 2017

​International Cricket returns to Cambusdoon

Cricket Scotland have confirmed that Scotland will host Namibia in the 4 day Intercontinental Cup at Cambusdoon on 6-9 June.

5 February 2017

​WDCU Cup and Sunday fixtures announced

​The WDCU have announced the next batch of fixtures for the 2017 season

​Ayr will again play in the South Section of the PlayerReg McCulloch Cup (formerly the West League Cup) and begin with a home match against KPMResidential Prestwick on 10th May. In the Murgitroyd Rowan Cup they have a home tie against PSL Team Sports Clydesdale on 25th May. They also have another home tie in the Western Union Cup, this time against Tunnocks Uddingston on 7th May.

​The Cambusdoon Development XI will play in Pool B of the Western Cup against Kilmarnock, Albert Park, Torrance House and St. Ninians, with the first match away to St. Ninians on 2nd May. In the Sunday League they begin against the same opposition, this time at Cambusdoon. In they Evening League they start with an away match to East Kilbride on the 9th May.

28 January 2017

2017 Scottish Cup

​The 1st round draw has been made for the Citylets Scottish Cup with Ayr having a home match against Ashas East Kilbride on 14th May at Cambusdoon.

Iain, also known to his friends as Hank, was one of the best cricketers who ever played for Ayr Cricket Club. A talented all round sportsman, he also played Junior football in his youth.

He played for Ayr CC first Xl for over 25 years until his retirement in 1976, and although an all-rounder it was his batting that was feared by many opposing teams. Hard hitting and quick scoring was hishallmark with many hundreds to his name. Although never capped by his country he did lead an Xl against the MCC.

A born leader and an astute reader of the game he captained the Ayr team several times. He was meant to be captain of the great Ayr teams of 1960 and ’61 but declined in favour of Jack Watson who led these exceptional teams to clean sweeps of League and Cup Trophies.

He served as club President and also on the committee for a number of years, as well as taking the presidency of the Western Union for a year. Latterly he was invited to be an honorary Vice-President of Ayr and was a regular face at home games, supporting both junior and senior teams right up to the end of the most recent season.​His support and generosity to the club and players of all generations, with his appealing nature as an individual endeared him to everyone at the club. He will be greatly missed but his contribution will never be forgotten.​Our thoughts are with his family at this time for the loss of one of ours but we will remember many pleasurable hours in his company.​

20 Nov

​The club held their Players Dinner on Saturday night with a large number of players and supporters in attendance. 2016 1st XI captain Scott McElnea was MC for the evening and gave an entertaining review of the season before announcing the awards for the season.

​1st XI Player of the Year Shujja Khan​Players Player of the Year Shujja Khan​2nd XI Player of the Year Douglas Johnstone​Young Player of the Year Pushkar BhandariDavie J Award Kevin Boyd

A special award was also made to Douglas Johnstone for his services to the Club over the past few years when he has done a fantastic job as Junior Convenor and Cricket Chairman.

​

Shujja Khan

Douglas Johnstone

Pushkar Bhandari

11th September

​Sunday saw Cambusdoon host the Ladies Scottish Cup Finals Day, with two semi-finals and final all taking place. The first semi had Stirling taking on Carlton with the Edinburgh side running out comfortable winners, while in the second, holders George Watsons College came out on top against the combined Ayr/Poloc team.In the final Watsons won the toss and elected to bowl and restricted their Edinburgh rivals to 80 with some tight bowling in the blustery conditions. In reply, sisters Sarah (37 not out) and Kathryn Bryce (26 not out) saw Watsons home with four overs to spare.

Bruce Patterson inducted into Hall of Fame

On Saturday at the Grange former Ayr player Bruce Patterson was inducted in the Scotland Hall of Fame during the lunch break at the ODI between Scotland and Hong Kong. Patterson who played for Scotland 124 times scoring 4040 runs including 5 hundreds was presented with his cap by Cricket Scotland President Bruce Dixon.

Ladies Day

Saturday 20th august saw the secondAyr CC ladies day take place at New Cambusdoon.Despite the wet weather and the cancellation of the 1st Xl game the day was a great success- attended by 80​ glamourous ladies and raising over £1500 for the charity Brain Tumour UK represented by Vivienne McBeth. (Pictured)Thanks to Paul Scully for the musical entertainment, Buckleys catering Prestwick for the buffet and Lesley Strain and Scott McElnea for organising the event.Thanks also to Dalrymple Show for loan of marquees and Peacock Salt for organising transport.

​

A decade of hard work!

Andi McElnea, the triumphant Ayr captain, last night revealed that his team’s Western Union success can be traced back to the efforts of club legend Matt Horne.The New Zealander spent five seasons as professional at Cambusdoon before taking charge of his country’s U19 side and then becoming coach of Auckland Aces, a post he still holds.Horne may have been away for six years but McElnea insists the work he started a decade ago is now bearing fruit.Saturday’s 61-run win over Dumfries confirmed Ayr’s first Union title since 1996 after a season during which the young Alloway team have been nothing short of a revelation.Their success is all the more remarkable in that it was sealed almost a year to the day since they came within one game of losing their top flight status.McElnea said: “Everyone at the club is absolutely delighted that we’ve finally lifted the title.“A lot of hard work has gone into this and there is no doubt that much of the credit is due to Matt Horne.“It is very much his legacy that we have a young team who have proved themselves capable of winning the league.“Most of the guys who have played in the team throughout the season were juniors at the club when Matt was here.“He was one of these special professionals who was more than just a guy who went out and got runs and wickets for the first eleven – although his record there was really impressive.“But even more important was the influence he had on all the juniors. He worked tirelessly at every level throughout the club and the way he taught us to play has provided the foundation of what we do every time we go on the park.“Myself and my brother (Scott), Neil Smith, Callum Leck, Shujaa Khan, Elliot Speirs, Neil Logan, Ross Mitchell, Richard Borland are all products of the time when Matt was at the club.“It is just a fantastic feeling to be Western Union champions especially when you remember that we played Stirling on the final day of last season in a game we had to win to stay up.”While the local players will rightly receive their share of the plaudits, the contribution of Sikander Raza, Ayr’s Zimbabwean professional, should not be overlooked.Despite heading off on international duty six weeks ago, Raza ended the season as the leading run scorer in the Union as well as one of the top ten wicket-takers.His replacement, Steve Liburd, also made some important contributions including 3-52 in Saturday’s typically hard-fought win at Nunholm.Scott McElnea more than matched that effort with 3-25 as Ayr pegged back Dumfries who had looked on course to chase down their 246 target.Earlier, Shujaa Khan, the youngest of Ayr’s talented crop, had demonstrated the most maturity with a composed innings of 49 after skipper McElnea had set the tone with 36, his brother adding the finishing touches with a hard-hitting 39.Ayr will now attempt to be the first side from the West to win the Grand Final when they face Eastern Premier champions Aberdeenshire on Saturday.

Poor Batting Costs Ayr...

Another disappointing weekend for Ayr as they lost away to Drumpellier on Saturday and then the next day they were knocked out of the Cricket Scotland Trophy by Forfarshire.

Saturday saw Drumpellier bat first and were in trouble at 54-3 before a stand of 126 between McLaren (60) and Mohammed (64) got their innings back on track and they finished on 224-5. The Ayr reply was always faltering as they struggled to make any headway against the home bowlers and they were bowled out for 111.

On Sunday Forfar batted first and were in trouble early as Scott McElnea bowled Scotland international Matt Parker for 2, but fellow international Craig Wallace (70) then got the innings back on track supported by Garden (77) and Galloway (44). Ayr did manage to fight back and bowled out the visitors for 247 with 3 wickets for Andi McElnea and 2 each for brother Scott and Callum Leck. The Ayr reply was always in trouble with a steady fall of wickets and only Andi McElnea (34 n.o.) putting up any resistance as they were bowled out for 114.

Ayr completed their section games in the West League Cup and lost their 100% record as they lost to the WDCU Dragons. The Dragons were bowled out for 140 with Michael Schofield taking 4-23. In reply Ayr fell 10 runs short on 130-6 with Shujaa Khan top scoring with 35.

The Cambusdoon were at home to Langloan and the visitors put the young Ayr bowlers to the sword as they scored an impressive 324-8 with the experienced members of the Ayr attack Johnstone and Pali each taking 4 wickets. Most of the Ayr batsmen got a start as they chased their target but only Stuart Jefferson (37) and Douglas Johnstone (35) were able to make any real impact as they were bowled out for 158.

The Development XI fell to an agonising defeat in the Glasgow Evening League as they lost off the penultimate ball away to Hamilton. Batting first Ayr scored 149-4 with Neil Logan (45) and Robbie Henderson (42 n.o) top scoring, but the home team reached their target in one ball to spare.

In a quiet week for the juniors there were victories for the U11's who beat Glasgow Accies by 37 runs while the U18's beat a Greenock/Kelburne XI by 52 runs.

During the week Cambusdoon hosted the Pro 50 Series match between the Reivers and the South Holland Seafarers from Rotterdam which the Reivers won with Scott McElnea finishing with 3-31.

This week sees Ayr take on West of Scotland at Hamilton Crescent while the Cambusdoon XI host Partick.

Ayr CC to host International Games in July

Challenge Series is another step in the right direction for Scotland - Glasgow Herald - Friday 28 June 2013 Scotland's new pro teams have lined up matches against leading sides from the Netherlands next month in the hope of it leading to a full-blown continental league. Andy Tennant, Cricket Scotland's head of performance, said: "We believe the establishment of a European professional domestic competition is fundamental to raising the standard in our countries."Peter Drinnen, the former Saltires coach now in charge of the Dutch national side, added: "This is a real reinforcement of our intentions to embed a professional structure in the 50-over and Twenty20 formats. These matches together will go a long way to bridging the gap between club cricket and the international scene." The Challenge Series, on July 16 and 17, has the Reivers playing host to the South Holland Seafarers in back-to-back 50-over and T20 games at Ayr, while the North Holland Hurricanes reciprocate to the Highlanders at the same time. Also being played at Cambusdoon on 23/24/25 July are 3 games between the Scotland U17's And Ireland U17's. These games will be 2 50/50 matches on the first 2 days followed by a T20 on the 25th. The U 17's team are currently in Holland playing.Team as below :-Andrew Umeed, Matthew Angelini, Scott Cameron, Will Edwards, Ben Wilkinson, Haris Aslam, Ryan Brown, Niall Alexander, Chayank Gosain, Cameron Sloman, Mark Watt, Duncan Player, Hamza Tahir. All welcome to come along to enjoy the cricket on all days.

Ayr finish second....

Ayr ended their Scottish Cup campaign with a convincing win against Stoneywood Dyce at Cambusdoon on Saturday. Batting first they scored 218-8.Neal Parlane top scored with 62 and had good support from Scott McElnea (52) and Ross Mitchell (31). The Stoneywood reply got off to disastrous start and were reduced to 21-7 with Scott McElnea and Shujaa Khan doing the damage with the ball. McElnea finished with 5-25 and Khan 3-16 including a hat trick as Stoneywood were bowled out for 89. The victory put Ayr in second place in their section and means they have qualified for the Cricket Scotland Trophy, while Stoneywood who won the section now meet Arbroath in the Quarter finals of the Scottish Cup.

The Cambusdoon XI ended their Western Cup campaign with a heavy defeat away to Glasgow University Staff. The home team batted first and scored a challenging 275 - 7 against a Cambusdoon XI missing a number of regulars. In reply they were bowled out for 93 with only Niall McCrossin (42) making a major contribution.

On Tuesday night they were in action against Poloc Panthers in the Glasgow Evening League and recorded a comfortable victory. Batting first they scored 143 in their 20 overs, with the main contributions coming from Ross Mitchell (41) and Shujaa Khan (32). They then restricted Poloc to 132 to win by 11 runs.

Sunday saw the Development XI take on Kelburne in the Sunday League. Batting first they posted they scored a very impressive 310-2, with Michael Schofield top scoring with 137 and a maiden century for Robbie Henderson who batted through the innings for 122 not out. Some tight bowling by the Ayr opening bowlers put Kelburne well behind the run rate and things did not get any better for them following the introduction of Billy Lynch into the attack as he ripped through their batsmen taking 7-38 including four wickets in four balls as they were bowled out for 179.

The U15's had a difficult week which started off the Finals Day of the ECB Cup at Goldenacre. In their semi final they were drawn against Grange and were narrowly beaten in a very tight game and were then beaten by Largo in the 3rd/4th play off. They were then again in action on Friday night when sadly they lost away to Clydesdale in a league match. The only other junior team in action were the U11's who were also up against Clydesdale and won by 11 runs with Richie Simpson (27 n.o.) and Sam Jefferson with 3 wickets were the top performers.

This week sees Ayr back on League duty on Saturday when they travel to take on Dumpellier. Sunday sees them at home tp Forfarshire in the Cricket Scotland Trophy. On Wednesday they take on the WDCU Dragons in the final section game in the West league Cup. The Cambusdoon XI are at home to Langloan.

This week also sees Cambusdoon host the first of the Regional Pro series matches with the Reivers taking on their Dutch opponents from Rotterdam.

Batting woes continue...

Ayr's disappointing start to their CSL Premier Division campaign continued as they lost away to Uddingston on Saturday in the only game to be completed due to the heavy rain that hit most of the West of Scotland. Ayr batted first in a game initially reduced to 42 overs due to a delayed start and were bowled out for 135 with Scott McElnea top scoring with an excellent 63, his only real support coming from Douglas Johnstone (24). After a further rain break Uddingston were set a revised target of 125 in 32 overs under the Duckworth Lewis method. A total which they reached for the loss of only 4 wickets. Michael Schofield being the pick of the bowlers taking 2-14 from his 8 overs. There was no game on Sunday after Dumfries conceded the CSL 40 match after they were unable to raise a team.

With the Cambusdoon XI's match against Bothwell falling to the rain the only other senior match played during the week was the Development XI match in the Glasgow Evening League against Active Life. Ayt batted first and scored a creditable 135-3 in their 20 overs with Ross Mitchell (41) and Michael Schofield (49 n.o) doing most of the damage. In their reply the visitors were always up with the run rate till an excellent spell of tight accurate bowling from Robbie Henderson and some quick wickets from Michael Schofield saw Ayr claim victory by 5 runs.

In the Juniors there were victories for the U11's who beat Weirs by 34 runs and the U15's who beat Greenock by 5 wickets while the U13's suffered a heavy defeat away to West of Scotland.

This week sees Ayr face fellow strugglers Stirling County on Saturday and on Wednesday night travel to Irvine on West League Cup duty. The Cambusdoon XI travel to Williamfield on Saturday and on Sunday are again on teir travels this time away to Queens Park.

Ayr Lose to Dumfries....

Ayr travelled to Dumfries on Saturday and fell to their third defeat of the CSL League campaign as they lost by 7 wickets to last years league winners. Dumfries won the toss and put Ayr into bat, a decision that paid off as they claimed the early wicket of Scott McElnea, followed by a further two with some good accurate bowling by openers Alexander and Lojszczyk before Ayr rallied with a partnership between Neal Parlane (43) and a welcome return to form from Andi McElnea (45). But the dismissal of Parlane led to flurry of wickets and they were bowled out for 175.

A couple of early wickets from Michael Schofield gave Ayr a glimmer of hope but some good batting by Chris Bellwood (76 n.o) saw the home team record a comfortable victory.

Wednesday saw Ayr back on West League Cup when they played host to Irvine. Batting first they made 155-6. Scott McElnea (33) and Nel Parlane (56) and a quickfire 21 from Michael Schofied were the main contributor's with the bat. In reply Irvine after a promising start fell well short of their target on 1225-5 with 3 wickets for Elliot Speis.

The Cambusdoon XI also fell to defeat as they lost at home to Nunholm. Batting first they were bowled out for 71, a figure the men from Dumfries reached for the loss of 3 wickets.

Sunday saw the Development XI take on Victoria in the Sunday League. Ayr batted first and scored 237-9 with David Baines top scoring with 88 not out and was well supported by Ross McKelvie (37) and Ross Mitchell (28). In reply Victoria were always ahead of the run rate and eased to comfortable 7 wicket victory.

It was a busy for the juniors. Monday night saw the U13's make the short trip to Prestwick where the fell 10 runs short in there chase of the home teams total of 100-5. The same night saw U18's take on Prestwick at Cambusdoon. The visitors were restricted to 93. Robbie Henderson taking 5-16. A total which they reached for the loss of only one wicket. Shujaa Khan starting off what was to be an impressive week for him with 47 not out. Tuesday saw the U15's travel to Greenock and saw them make an impressive 170-4, Khan again top scoring with 50 retired and was given good support from Jonathon Bains (40 n.o.) and Callum Henderson (46). They then restricted there hosts to 89-7. They were back in action again on Friday night as they travelled to Hamilton Crescent to take on West of Scotland where they recorded a 32 run victory. Batting first they scored 146-4, Khan top scoring again with 69. The U11's were also in action on Friday and recorded a 93 run victory against West of Scotland. The final game of the week took place on Sunday when the U15's defeated Hillhead in the ECB Cup.

This week sees Ayr travel to Uddingston on League duty while on Sunday they take on Dumfries in the CSL 40 at Cambusdoon. The Cambusdoon XI are away to Bothwell on Saturday.

Ayr suffered defeat at Stoneywood!

Ayr made the long trip to Peoples Park on Saturday for there top of the table clash against Stoneywood Dyce.

The home team batted first and were in trouble early as Scott McElnea continued his early season good form claiming a couple of early wickets to leave them on 11-2, but they recovered to finish on 190-8 thanks to Ninan (44) and Conradie (68 n.o). Scott McElnea pick of the bowlers finishing with 3-33.

The Ayr reply got of to a disapointing start losing openers Smith and McElnea with only 2 on the board and never recovered and were eventually bowled out for 126, Richie Borland carrying on his good from from last week and top scoring with 40.

The Cambusdoon XI claimed there first victory of the season with victory over Glasgow University Staff. The visitors batted first and early wickets for opening bowlers Callum Gordon and Andy Baillie left them on 7-3. They then regrouped and ended their innings on 182-7. David Baines top bowler with 3-32.

Sujha Khan led the Cambusdoon reply with an excellent maiden senior fifty and was well supported by Niall McCrossin (62 n.o.) as they reached their target for the loss of 5 wickets and with 7 overs to spare.

The juniors got underway with U13's recording a victory against Prestwick. The visitors batted first anad scored 95-3. Ayr reched this target again for the loss of only 3 wickets with Richie Simpson and Harry Boyd both reaching 30 before retiring.

This weekend sees the League campaign begin with Ayr at home to an in form Drumpellier and the Cambusdoon XI away to Langloan.

Ayr beat Penicuik by 105 runs....

Ayr beat Penicuik by 105 runs in the second game of the Scottish Cup group stage.Ayr continued their promising start to the new season with another comfortable victory in their Scottish Cup section match against Penicuick at Cambusdoon. They were put into bat and got off to a flying start with Neil Smith (60) and Andi McElea (33) both in fine form as they took advantage of some loose bowling by Penicuick. They then lost wickets at regular intervals with most batsmen making a start but not going on to make a score until Richard Borland came in to hit an unbeaten 36 as they finished on a challenging total of 241-8.The Ayr opening attack of Scott McElnea and Michael Schofield again made the early breakthrough removing both Penicuick openers with only 17 on the board. The visiting captain Steel (48) and Juson (38) then lead a slight recovery but the run rate was always increasing and they finished their innings on 136-9 with Scott McElea pick of the bowlers finishing with 4-30, while there were 2 wickets each for Elliot Speirs and Andi McElnea. Scorecard

The win puts Ayr at the top of their section along with Stoneywood-Dyce who they play next week in Aberdeen.

The Cambusdoon XI's match against Bute was cancelled and next week they are at home to Glasgow University Staff in the Western Cup

My Scottish Chum

A tribute written by ex-pro Ashley Mallett on former player Mike Denness."Team-mate, rival and friend, Mike Denness was a gentleman cricketer, a man with a happy disposition and a caring soul"Click here to view

Scho's "Wee" Blog

Few Beers!! Not Bad eh....

I left New Zealand in 23degree heat on a sunny autumn’s day. 31 hours later, I arrived in Scotland to a reception of cloud, rain and wind which felt about -30degrees. After five minutes of walking around aimlessly, Andi and Smithy found me, once they had finished their cups of tea. We then travelled back to the land of Robert Burns. As I gazed out the window at a landscape that was familiar to the South Island of New Zealand, I was enlightened with stories of fellow team mates and informed of the goings on in the hustle and bustle of Ayr.

After a 15 hour sleep my first day was spent with the children at sports camp. I attempted to teach them a New Zealand past time being Rugby Union but after a few short minutes I realised that perhaps it was more of an acquired taste in Scotland than it was in NZ.

Thursday came around and as I woke to the anticipation of my first training with the club, the realisation of the Scottish summer dampened my spirits. Wind and rain postponed my first hit out until Saturday afternoon where we managed to squeeze in a quick net session. After an enjoyable first training, it was into the club for a few refreshments.I was amazed by the hospitality shown by the club and I enjoyed my first nightout with the boys including my eagerly anticipated debut in Club De Mar.A full week of pitch preparation and training lead to my awaited debut against Poloc. A wet sodden outfield and muddy foot prints didn’t faze us and a fantastic victory left me very pleased and excited for what is to come.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my fist couple of weeks in Ayr both on and off the field and I look forward to great times ahead.

Leck inspires Ayr with high 5.....

Ayr got their season underway on Saturday (20th April) with a comfortable and clinical home victory against Poloc CC. Ayr won the toss and decided to ask Poloc to bat first on what was a decent wicket considering the weather. A great effort by the groundsmen to get the ground looking so good for the first game of the season. Scott McElnea and Michael Schofield shared the new ball. Both bowlers got their season underway with their second ball, both finding the edge of the Poloc batsmen, Young and Sheridan. Ayr continued to apply pressure throughout the innings. Callum Leck was the pick of the bowlers with a career best performance. Leck bowled superbly from the cottage end and picked up a much deserved five wicket haul. Leck finished with figures of 5-24. Poloc were eventually all out for 98. Michael Schofield kicked off his Ayr career with an encouraging 2-21, Scott McElnea finished with 2-22.

Ayr opened with Andi McElnea and Neil Smith. The run chase got off to a bad start when Smith was out caught in the 4th over. This brought Neil Logan to the crease, Logan and McElnea then put together a match winning partnership. The partnership was constructed through some good shots and positive footwork by both batsmen. Ayr reached the target 2 wickets down after Andi McElnea was out caught for a well played 50. Logan finished the innings on 35* and was at the crease with Calum McLaughlin when the target was reached.

Ayr continue their Scottish cup campaign next Saturday with a home match against Penicuik.

Kwik Cricket Coaching Course

Well done and thanks to all the cricket Dads and members of the ladies & girls team who participated in the Kwik Cricket Coaching Course held by Tim Hart for us on Friday night ( 19th April ). We all not only thoroughly enjoyed it but we learnt how to safely lead a group of juniors through a game of Kwik Cricket. As we have so many beginners coming along on Friday nights.... I'm sure we shall all be out coaching soon ! Thanks to Stu Jefferson for organising the course and Tim Hart for coming down to deliver it for us.

Friday Nights return....

Friday 19th April kick starts the beginning of an eventful cricket season for the club!

It's the first night for our cricket junior training which starts at 6.30pm and finishes at 8pm. This year we have amateur Michael Schofield and professional Neil Parlane joining the team and both will be helping coach the junior section aswell.

Training for the Senior team takes place on a Tuesday and Thursday night from 6-8pm. The boys have been working hard for their first game of the season with the First XI at home this Saturday against Poloc,12pm start and the Cambusdoon XI away to Shawholm. Good Luck to both teams!

Outdoor Training set to begin...

Outdoor training will commence this tuesday night and will continue throughout the summer on Tuesday and Thursday nights 6pm-8pm.

All players welcome new and old!

Please remember if you are planning on coming along for the season Subscriptions will be due so be prepared!

First cut for the square 2013

Finally today (Thursday 4th) our ground team have managed to get a first cut done on the square. As the weather has been so cold it has been a frustating time for all clubs as they struggle to get grounds prepared for the season. Hopefully better weather to come now.Cricket Scotland have been concerned that grounds would not be ready for the start of the season. Hopefully we will be on track now. Anyone for cricket ??Don't forget cricket section guys that there is a ground clean up day on Sat 6th all help will be appreciated 11am-4pm!

Awards for all support Ayr Cricket Club

Ayr Cricket Club are pleased to announce that they have received a £10,000 grant from Awards for All.The club will use the funds to purchase a new 2 lane artificial practice area which will replace our current 15 year old nets. The club is extremely excited about this new project to improve our nets and means our senior, junior and ladies team will benefit from having up to date facilities. We also hope this will entice more people to come and play cricket at Cambusdoon in what will sure to be an exciting summer with the Ashes taking place in England. We thank all at Awards for All for their generous grant and hope 2013 will be a successful season for all Ayr teams

Easter Fun @ Cambusdoon Sports Club

Vision Coaching are running an Easter Camp at the club throughout the Easter holidays, the camp is available to all children ages 5-14.

Cricket, Hockey, Football, Rugby and Dance are delivered daily by the experienced and qualified coaches, the team at Vision Coaching will ensure that your children have a great school holiday!

visit www.visioncoachingcamps.com or call 077313 04 144 for more information.

Dates: 2nd April -17th April. No booking necessary, unlimited spaces

Scotland Squad to face Afghanistan

Cricket Scotland has today announced the Scotland squad ahead of their vital tour to the UAE, where they will take on Afghanistan in all three formats of the game.

The Scotland team, sponsored by The Parkmead Group, will play two T20 fixtures, two World Cricket League fixtures and a four-day Intercontinental Cup tie, meaning there will be plenty to play for. The tour will commence with three warm up fixtures against the Emirates Cricket Board Blues.Scotland, currently placed second in the World Cricket League, will be looking to make strides towards claiming one of the two automatic spots to the ICC 2015 World Cup.David Murphy, Matt Machan and Rob Taylor have all earned a place on the tour after impressing during their time on the recent uncapped tour of South Africa. Ian Wardlaw, the Yorkshire seam bowler who missed the SA tour due to his Champions League commitments, is also in line for a first cap during the tour.Neil Carter, the former Warwickshire all-rounder, has also been selected and will add valuable experience to the squad especially in support of the young seam bowlers.Following the announcement of the squad, Iain Kennedy, Scotland’s Chairman of Selectors commented, “‘This has been the most challenging and exciting selection of recent times as it is very rare that you would get such an influx of talented individuals to pick from. Hopefully our new players will gel quickly with our current squad and we get the positive results we are all hoping for against Afghanistan”.A determined Scotland captain, Gordon Drummond added, “This is a massive few weeks of cricket for the team in terms of reaching the 2015 World Cup and another I-Cup final. The new look squad has a good balance to it and gives us a great deal of options. The players have been training intensively since the start of the year and we are looking forward to getting back onto the pitch and challenging the talented Afghanistan team. It is important for us that we get off to a good start ahead of what is a huge year of cricket for Scotland.”

Andi McElnea Interview

Ayr Cricket Club has a long history of producing excellent cricketers, Mike Denness amongst others, so we thought we would catch up with the latest 1st XI captain, Andi McElnea. With his brother, Scott, representing Scotland in the ICC U19 World Cup in 2012, Andi will be taking on the Performance Analyst role with the current crop of players as they head to Sri Lanka ahead of the qualifying tournament in August for the next World Cup.

CS: Andi, How did you become interested in cricket initially?The initial interest came from the Kwik-cricket that was delivered in school by Ayr Cricket club, my local club. They would always have the cricket professional out in the schools during the summer term.My friends and I went along to the the club to try out some cricket on the Friday nights. Since I joined the club at Under 12s I developed a passion for the game both playing and coaching.This has now led to me becoming captain of the 1st XI, which also allows me to help out in the local primary schools when I can. It's important as a player at a club to give as much as you take, I have a firm belief that clubs are there to provide opportunities for young players to flourish and become better players. That can only happen if the current players, who are more experienced, help out and guide the younger players through their development. If Scottish cricket is to continue to move in the right direction then clubs have a huge role to play ensuring that junior cricket is their top priority! Without juniors there are no seniors. I for one know without the mentoring from senior players at my club there wouldn't be a team today. CS: How did you get involved in the U19 set-up?Craig Wright spoke to me and offered me the opportunity to join the Under 19s set up as performance analyst in January. It was an offer that I felt would really benefit me as a coach and aid my development in working with performance players. If I can gain knowledge that can then be passed on to players and coaches that I am working with then it’s going to be a positive experience.

CS : How are you feeling ahead of the trip to Sri Lanka?I am really looking forward to seeing the sun for a start! There is a real feeling of excitement about the tour, but I go into it with my eyes open and ready to learn throughout the time I am away.

I have never been to that part of the world so it is going to be a completely new experience for me. The job I will be doing is going to take a bit of getting used to, so I will have some long hard days ahead of me, particularly when getting up to speed with the system.

I have been fortunate enough to spend some time with Lead Performance Analyst, Toby Bailey, learning how to use the system, and I will have a couple of days in Sri Lanka with support from the system operators Sports Mechanics, but after that it's going to be up to me to work things out myself. Toby has been great in helping me through the early stages of understanding the system. I am excited to see the talent that is going on tour perform well and gain valuable experience that can hopefully be used in order to succeed this summer in Holland, when we look to qualify for the World Cup.CS : Personally, what are you hoping to achieve after your time away?I hope to enjoy the trip and gain valuable knowledge and experience that will assist me in further developing as a head coach in the future. I’ll be working in an environment with the best coaches, which will no doubt be an invaluable coaching experience for me.I wish all the players selected on the tour good luck, and encourage each one of them to work hard and make the most of the wonderful opportunity that they have been given.

Performance Development Manager, Craig Wright was quick to pay tribute to the budding Analyst, “It is an important step forward for us to now have access to a performance analysis system for the U19 squad, and I have no doubt Andi will be a valuable addition to the coaching team in his role as Performance Analyst. We are keen to give development opportunities to young Scottish coaches who have attributes and character that aligns with those we are looking for in the players, and I believe Andi meets those criteria”

Hamish Rutherford swinging in the rain

Rain may have washed out play in the first game of England's cricket tour yesterday, but that didn't stop New Zealand XI skipper Andrew Ellis from giving a resounding endorsement of new Black Cap Hamish Rutherford. Only 9.1 overs were played in the warm-up Twenty20 at Cobham Oval, with the New Zealand XI managing 70-1 before umpires deemed rain to be too much for play to continue. Rutherford, who was named in the Black Caps T20 team to play England in their three-match series starting on Saturday, scored 21 of those - with three boundaries and an impressive six over point coming in his quickfire 15-ball knock. Ellis, who will be a T20 team-mate of Rutherford's during the England series, saluted the 23-year-old's "clean" ability to strike the ball. He'd been impressed with the Otago opener's level-headed approach to the game. "He keeps things really simple," Ellis said. "One interesting thing about him is when he gets out, he's quite a level-headed guy. He doesn't throw things around. It's fantastic to see. "He just approaches it the same way, and that will bode well for him over time, I think. His natural talent will emerge if he keeps that level head." Rutherford looked at ease at the crease until English T20 skipper Stuart Broad took a superb swirling catch to dismiss him off the bowling of Chris Woakes - but Ellis is expecting their bowling approach to him will change over the coming week. "There's no doubt they would have seen him for the first little bit - so they will have a little chat and assess their line and length," he said. "But if Ruds stays in that even mindset ... because he plays all around the wicket, whatever plan they have, I'm sure he'll be able to counter." Anton Devcich (22 off 25 balls) and Tom Latham (23 off 15) were at the crease when play ended. None of the English bowlers really fired in the overs that were played - though English fans will be pleased to see Broad, who missed the majority of the recent tour to India with a heel injury, bowling again. The rain robbed former Black Caps skipper Ross Taylor of a warmup innings, too. He will leave the New Zealand XI setup this morning to organise himself ahead of re-joining the national side. Otago's Neil Broom has joined the squad as Taylor's replacement. Another Twenty20 match will be played at Cobham Oval today, in addition to the Waitangi Day encounter tomorrow.

Scots focus on ‘crucial’ warm-ups

PETE Steindl’s new-look Scotland side will head to the desert two weeks early to prepare for a series of fixtures against Afghanistan.Several alternative warm-up venues were considered, including South Africa, but the squad will instead base themselves in Dubai from 19 February.They face the Afghans in a T20 double header on 3 March and compete again in a four-day I-Cup clash later in the month.However, sandwiched in between are two vital World Cup qualifiers in the 50-over format.Coach Steindl, whose side are expected to play three warm-up matches, said: “In terms of preparations we will put the emphasis on the 50-over format. Reaching the World Cup is one of our big goals this year and we are pretty well placed at the moment but the games against Afghanistan are crucial.”The Scots are second in the eight-team table from which the top two will qualify for the 2015 World Cup. They are two points adrift of Ireland, whom they play later this year, but two wins against the Afghans would put them in pole position.Steindl is expected to name his travelling squad next week and could include new recruits in former Warwickshire all-rounder Neil Carter and Yorkshire pace bowler Iain Wardlaw

Next stop UAE for Scotland Women’s Cricketers

They have walked, they have danced, and they have padded up and strutted their stuff on one of Scotland's iconic structures. They have organised their own fund-raising initiatives, sold wristbands and penned letters seeking sponsorship, while trying to fit in winter training, amidst near-incessant sleet and snow, with work and educational commitments. So when a Scotland Women's development squad heads to the UAE to take part in the ARCH Trophy next week, they can reflect proudly on the fact they have made this opportunity happen almost entirely through their own enterprise and enthusiasm.Nobody in the camp, least of all the Scots' redoubtable skipper, Abbi Aitken, expects the week-long tour to be anything other than testing, as the youthful ensemble prepare to tackle Wales, Lancashire and Sussex on February 18, 20 and 21. And yet there is a resilience about these new kids which bodes well for the future of the sport in their homeland. Other less ambitious individuals might have looked at the money required to finance the trip - in excess of £25,000 - and decided it was beyond their means. But not Abbi and her allies, all of whom will be based in Abu Dhabi for the duration of their stay."It needed a big effort, but we were all excited by the prospect of going on this tour and the support we have received has been phenomenal," says Aitken, one of those little coiled springs of boundless energy. "We had a sponsored walk across the Forth Road Bridge, we held a ceilidh, and a race night, and various other events, and the girls did everything they could to whip up interest from friends and family and local businesses. It has been a challenge, no doubt about it, but, in a way, we have become even more thrilled about this adventure because we have had to go out and make this a reality. And we've done it!"The team's head coach, Kari Carswell, herself an accomplished all-round cricketer, is among those who have watched and applauded the industry shown by her charges. "The players and their clubs have all made such a significant impact and have helped raise the money and that shouldn't go unnoticed," said Carswell. "I would also like to thank Philip Hudson and ICC Europe for the contribution they have made towards this trip and they are fantastic supporters of the women's game."It was quite daunting at the start to think about how we were going to raise the money, but we have somehow managed to reach the milestone. At times, you wonder [if it was financially viable], but it shows the tremendous spirit and generosity of those who support Scottish women's cricket and I am extremely grateful to them all."The potent mixture of dogged determination and stahanovite commitment displayed by such characters as Aitken certainly shouldn't be underestimated. A feisty Aberdonian, her instinctive competitiveness is clearly in the genes - her cousin, Lisa, is Scotland's No 1 squash performer and a rising star on the WISPA circuit - and, while she recognises that her compatriots will be jousting with formidable opponents in the Middle East, nothing fazes her, as she pursues progress for her personnel."We realise that it is going to be a steep learning curve once we are out in Abu Dhabi, but I'm confident that the girls will adapt to the conditions, and the fact they have been so heavily involved in the preparation for this venture has simply fired them up," said Aitken. "The squad has the right balance about it and our research into the conditions we might face in the UAE influenced our selection, but although we have three matches in four days, we can't wait to be involved in the tournament."Raising the amount of money we have done is fantastic and not only have companies and organisations been generous with their monetary donations, but I would also like to personally thank ASCO Transport Aberdeen and especially Willie Smith and Pauline Buchan for the support and training equipment they have provided me with. It is very much appreciated."The squad have no illusions over the magnitude of the looming mission. They will be underdogs and will have to rise to the occasion within a short timeframe. But their determination to get there in the first place has merely fuelled their desire.

Western Union 1893-1997

Falkland scorer and former umpire David W Potter has written a book on the Western Union covering the 104 years of its existence, before integrating into the SNCL. The book starts with the formation of the league in 1893, with six founding members, West of Scotland, Poloc, Clydesdale, Drumpellier, Greenock and Uddingston, and follows its path through the years as the league make up and rules evolve until 1997 when it was integrated into the Scottish National League.There are many fascinating snippets of information including the ‘retirement’ from the league in 1910 by four clubs West, Clydesdale, Drumpellier and Greenock until 1920 due to differences on how many fixtures were to be played in a season, and the fact that Terry Racionzer scored a ton against every other Union side. Also, in 1926, 6000 people turned up at Meikleriggs for the Paisley derby which ended in some controversy, with Lord’s being asked to adjudicate on the result!The book devotes a chapter to each of the ten Union clubs detailing significant achievements by each, including Kilmarnock’s Australian professional taking all 10 Poloc wickets for 34 in 1969, becoming the third bowler in Union history to achieve this feat.There is an interesting story when Drumpellier travelled to Heriot’s for a Scottish Cup match and Tom Porteous and Hamish More had a difference of opinion on which ball was to be used! The author who is well known as Falkland scorer and a former umpire has written four books on Scottish cricket and numerous on his other love Glasgow Celtic.The book is well researched through newspaper archives and former Western Union players observations, and it is great to see photos from yesteryear including one of the old Cambusdoon and of stalwarts of the game like Mike Denness, Dan Mackay and Terry Racionzer.It is well worth a read by anyone interested in Western Union cricket and Scottish cricket in general.Anyone wishing to purchase a copy price £7.99 can do so by contacting the author at his email address david.potter@blueyonder.co.uk

Cricket Scotland Unveil New Corporate Logo

Cricket Scotland has today unveiled their new corporate logo. The striking shield logo, encompassing two of Scotland’s traditional symbols of the thistle and the Saltire, along with a cricket ball integrated within the thistle, will replace the previous cricket ball logo, which has been used by the governing body since 2004.

The logo will also use blue as its predominant colour, replacing red.The logo, which can be used with the words Cricket Scotland either in portrait or landscape style, will adorn the playing kit of all Scotland representative sides, from the Under 15 team to the senior squads. The standalone thistle will still be used on the helmets and playing caps of the senior international sides.Cricket Scotland’s new playing kit, supplied by KALLI, will be launched in the next three weeks and will be worn for the first time when the Scotland side plays in the UAE towards the end of February.During 2013 Cricket Scotland will roll out the new logo across all its mediums. Commenting on the new logo, Roddy Smith, Chief Executive of Cricket Scotland stated, ‘’We are delighted with our new corporate identity. The aim has been to produce a clearly Scottish logo which incorporates a cricketing element. The Thistle and the Saltire are the two most easily recognisable Scottish symbols and we were keen to have both in our logo, especially with the strong connection between Scotland cricket sides and the name Saltires, which has been used for Scottish teams during our time in English domestic competitions. We have also favoured a return to the traditional Scottish colours of blue and white.’’The new logo will feature for the first time when Cricket Scotland also launch a new look website tomorrow, Thursday 31 January. To logon to the revamped website visit www.cricketscotland.com

Cricket Scotland takes Pepsi ICC Overall Development award for 2012

The Pepsi ICC Development Awards European winners have been announced by ICC Europe for 2012 with winners coming from six different European nations.

Cricket Scotland took the award for ‘Best Overall Development’ after having an extremely strong year and incorporating a number of different activities. These included the Summer Squad, where a team of coaches delivered community and curriculum based sessions ,cricket corporate evenings, the growth of national junior cups and the Asda ‘volunteer of the month’ prize initiative. The fantastic promotional event hosted in Edinburgh ‘Olympic Live site- Festival Square takeover’, in partnership with Cricket Factory, involved 450 participants during the day and helped to raise the profile of cricket in Scotland.

Pepsi ICC Development Manager Nick Pink is delighted with the depth and number of nominations received, “Across Europe we had a record number of nominations which shows the quality of development that is improving across the region. Congratulations to all winners and for six different member countries to be awarded is very pleasing,” said Pink.

Toby Bailey to replace Tony Judd

SALTIRES officials last night confirmed the appointment of Toby Bailey as their lead performance analyst and fielding coach.The former Northants player replaces Tony Judd, who quit last year to take up a coaching post in his native Australia.Since finishing his playing career, 36-year-old Bailey has taken charge of the Argentina national side and also held the post of head coach at Carlton.Bailey, who had been tipped to land the role after touring with the national side last October, said: “I’m delighted to get this chance at such an exciting time for Scottish cricket.“There will be many challenges ahead but I know that performance analysis and fielding are areas which make a real difference in the modern game.“From working with the group in South Africa it is clear there is a wealth of talent around.”Saltires head coach Pete Steindl said: “Toby has displayed a high level of professionalism and desire to add value to the experience we already have.”Bailey will begin his duties with immediate effect.

Ayr CC pleased to announce that they have received a grant of £2000 from the "Big Lottery Fund"...

Ayr CC are pleased to announce that they have received a grant of £2000 from the "Big Lottery Fund". This will be used to purchase a "Flicx" artificial cricket pitch which will be used by our juniors teams for training and games throughout the season. We thank the "Big Lottery Fund" for their grant and their support which will allow our junior members to continue their development in the years ahead.

Counties Manukau all-rounder Michael Schofield is set to join fellow kiwi Neal Parlane at Scottish club Ayr this season.The promising seam bowling all-rounder has signed to play with the Cambusdoon club as their Overseas Amateur this season alongside Professional Parlane.The 21-year-old is highly rated in Counties-Manukau circles and has represented the Senior Mens side in recent seasons.He has been one of the CMCA's leading wicket-takers over the past three seasons, including 40 wickets at 15.50 in the Premier competition in 2011/12 to be awarded the “Club Cricketer of the Year”.The kiwi pair will no doubt be a force to be reckoned with in the CSL Western Premier Division this summer.To view Michael Schofield's full profile click here

Ayr Snap Up Record Breaking Parlane for 2013! Article by Steve Hirst (CricX)

Ayr have snapped up record-breaking New Zealand batsman Neal Parlane for the forthcoming season.The CSL Western Premier Division club swooped to secure Parlane's signature, after the former State player's sudden availability.Parlane, who last played first-class cricket in March 2012, has been one of the most prolific batsman home and abroad for over a decade.The right-hand batsman has played 239 domestic matches and boasts an impressive first-class record with 5,602 runs at 35.91, including 12 centuries.He has played State cricket for Northern Districts, Auckland and most notably for Wellington where he hit 4,654 runs at 39.77, including a best season in 2007/08 of 809 runs at 57.78.The former New Zealand Under-19 and Academy representative has also been a record-breaking batsman in English League cricket. Parlane has broken league batting records in the Southern Electric Premier, Home Counties ECB Premier and ECB Liverpool leagues.During his first stint abroad in 2002, he topped the Liverpool League run-charts (1,337 runs at 60.77) whilst playing for Fleetwood Hesketh.In 2004, he broke Robin Smith’s long-standing Southern Premier League record by scoring 1,074 runs (at 82.62).He spent five seasons with West Herts (2005-10) in the Home Counties Premier League, scoring 4,708 league runs at 58.12 including 14 league hundreds (1022 runs at 68.13 in 2008 and 946 runs at 86 in 2009).His last season in 2011 was spent in the strong Surrey Championship, playing ECB Premier cricket for Reigate Priory (628 runs at 48.31).Ayr have secured the services of one of the most prolific batsman in league cricket over the past decade, yet Parlane will have his hands cut out to replicate the performances of Ayr's former pro's.Fellow countryman and former Blackcaps Matt Horne and Michael Papps enjoyed a combined 8 seasons with the Cambusdoon club. Horne hit 3543 runs at 56.23, whilst Papps enjoyed a prodigious 3-year stint (2009-11) hitting 2,727 runs at 97.39 and taking 44 wickets at 29.70. Last season, Ayr had the services of fellow CricX stable-mate Craig Thyssen and the South African finished as the CSL's second leading run-scorer with 431 runs at 86.20 during the rain-soaked season.Nevertheless, should Parlane produce returns similar to his previous exploits, Ayr will certainly be strong contenders for their CSL campaign this summer.To view Neal Parlane's full profile click here

2013 Begins Now!

Junior fixtures have also been added and its looking like another action packed summer for all players in 2013!

Lets hope the sunshines and the club can have a successful season in 2013!!

Jim Connell, an appreciation and funeral details...

Jim’s funeral will take place on Tuesday 15 January at Woodside Crematorium, 46 Broomlands Street, Paisley at 12 noon.JIM CONNELL devoted most of his adult life to cricket. Jim was knee high to a grasshopper and a pupil at Paisley Grammar School, when he first stepped up to the crease with Ferguslie CC Minors and his love for the game was instant. He captained the school 1st XI and enjoyed, by his own admission, a modest playing career at Meikleriggs until he went into national service with the RAF. On demob in 1962 he joined the Old Grammarians CC, where he played until he was 40. He also became Club President and it was during his tenure that Jim’s favourite cricketing moment occurred. The club reached the final of the Scottish Small Clubs Cup in 1990. “We ended up playing Crieff in Forfar. We beat them! It was a tremendous occasion and we made the most of it! I have to say I don’t think anyone was particularly steady when we got off the bus in Paisley”, he said.When he decided to call a halt to his playing career Jim turned to umpiring, initially in the Glasgow and District League, before transferring his allegiance to the Western Union where his competence was quickly recognised and resulted in appointments to Inter-District, etc. matches leading eventually to promotion to Scotland’s international panel. At this level amongst the games Jim stood in were ones against Ireland (when these fixtures were deemed to be First Class matches), MCC, Netherlands, India whose team included Sunil Gavaskar, Pakistan with Imran Khan and Zaheer Abbas, and Glamorgan, against a Scotland XI in 1987, his final year as an umpire.One game he took great delight in recalling was his involvement in The Village Cup semi-final tie at Freuchie in 1985, the year they won the trophy at Lord’s.It was during his on-field involvement that Jim took up umpire training under the guidance of John Williamson, who he succeeded as Scotland Region Training Officer. This resulted in his appointment to the then ACU&S Training Board. Prior to his involvement with training he was the ACU&S Registration Officer for Scotland and chaired the West of Scotland Branch of ACU&S for two years in the late eighties. Jim continued as trainer in the west for a total of 35 years, until 2008. Following his retirement from active training, he helped during the past three seasons with the boundary assessing of our up and coming umpires.From 1990 to 1996 Jim was one of two West representatives in the SCU Committee and served for a further year on the Match Administration Sub-Committee, where his duties included being match manager at international matches and higher profile domestic games. He continued to support Scotland and the Saltires for many years, both home and away, including trips abroad.Jim was assiduous in everything he did and will be sorely missed by SCOA and all the cricket organisations in Scotland with which he was involved, and by his family, all his many friends and associates.

Rowan Cup Draw

Ian MilburnWe have been advised this week by Ross Settles of the very sad news of Ian's death from a heart attack in September.

Ian ("Milb") played for Ayr CC in the 1970s and was a hard hitting middle-order batsmanand useful medium-pace bowler. He was a contemporary of mine, Gordon Cosh, Ian Masterton, Ian Kerr, Mike Scott.the Simpsons, Norman Wilson, Gavin Gemmell and others of that vintage.

One year at that time we entered the Scottish Cricket 6-a-side Knockout Competition in Edinburgh and Ian won the trophy for being the highest scorer in a single innings during the whole competition.This was achieved, I remember, in just about the first match of the day. Everything that was bowled up to him seemed to disappear over the sight-screen!

After his work with the Royal Bank of Scotland took him away from Ayr to Edinburgh, Ian played for, and captained Boroughmuir Cricket Club, and pursued even more intensively his love of golf. His death, at the age of 61, was a great shock, as he had no history of illness whatsoever.Nov 15th

Scotland opt out of CB50

SALTIRES bosses are planning a series of top quality fixtures after being omitted from England’s new county set-up.Cricket Scotland chief executive Roddy Smith last night revealed that Scotland won’t be included in English cricket’s revamped domestic structure from 2014.It means Pete Steindl’s side will be denied eight games against quality opposition.However, Smith believes matches against top international sides, including Australia, will help fill the void.He said: “Australia are already on our schedule for next summer and we hope to have two additional games against Full Members in 2013.“The ICC are placing a huge emphasis on more games between the top Associates and Full Members and their A teams - we will benefit by this and also more international games against our direct peers.”Of the ECB’s decision to omit the Saltires from their new CB50 tournament, Smith added: “CS have known for some time that there was a real possibility that the Saltires would not be included in a new ECB domestic 50-over competition from 2014. “Indeed we have had a number of discussions with the ECB about this as well as the other ongoing areas of support the ECB provide to Scottish cricket. “The final outcome of these discussions will be released in due course but are viewed by the CS Board as being a very positive overall outcome.“Cricket Scotland had put forward to the ECB that ongoing participation in their domestic structure was not a priority. “With additional support from the ICC and the potential of increased international fixtures in 2013 and beyond, the loss of 8 county games from our schedule creates new opportunities for matches for the national side. “We will be doing everything we can to maintain a strong and competitive in-season fixture list.”The last assurance will come as some comfort to coach Steindl who had originally assumed that the Saltires would participate in the new CB50.The coach said: “There was some uncertainty about the make-up of the new competition and I thought we would be in one of four groups of five teams.“However, I received a second e-mail which made it clear the counties wanted two groups of nine teams, meaning ourselves and Holland drop out.“My priority is ensuring that the players get a full programme of quality cricket that will challenge them.“Hopefully that’s what we’ll get to replace the county games because they have been of great value to me and the players.”Next season’s CB40 tournament will end a period of regular competition against county opposition for Scotland stretching back to 1980.

Ayr claim U18 Scottish Cup 2012

Local Life Ayr has won the Under 18 Scottish Cup having beat runners-up Kelso by 6 wickets at New Williamfield, Stirling on Sunday (9 September).

A new team was guaranteed to be engraved on this year’s trophy as previous winners Grange and Huntly did not make the semi-finals at Stirling County.Debutants Kelso faced Forfarshire in the first semi-final, whilst last year’s semi-finalists Clydesdale took on Ayr in the other.

Kelso v Forfarshire

Kelso won the toss and elected to bat first. The second wicket partnership of 65 between Grindell (25) and Henderson (53*) and the unbeaten partnership of 60 between the latter and Roberts (18*) saw Kelso to 140-2 after 20 overs.Despite Tosh (30) getting his team off to a decent start, his wicket sparked a steady Forfarshire and in reply Forfarshire came up 35 runs short of the target, sealing Kelso’s place in the final.

Clydesdale v Ayr

Batting first Clydesdale made 126-7 in their 20 over allocation. Opener, Ullah was top scorer with the bat making 23 followed by wicket-keeper, Selby with 17. Ayr would have been disappointed with their bowling performance having conceded 39 extras in the innings.Despite losing 2 wickets early on, Ayr made light work of the run surpassing the Clydesdale total with 7 balls to spare. Opening batsman McKelvie scoring a stunning unbeaten 65 and was well supported by Elliot Speirs (29) and Azeem (18*).

3rd/4th Play-off – Clydesdale v Forfarshire

Despite fine innings from Tosh (35) and Morrison (32), Forfarshire were 96 all out, as the Clydesdale bowlers tore through the middle and lower order. Awan was the pick of the Clydesdale bowlers with impressive figure of 4-12 from 4 overs and a catch to dismiss Morrison.Opening batsman Ullah again starred with the bat making 27 not out but was overshadowed by Clydesdale and Scotland U17 captain Lyle Hill who smashed an unbeaten 62 to win the game by 10 wickets and see the team to third place.

Final - Kelso v Ayr

Kelso did not enjoy the same start as they had in their semi-final as a run out and two wickets from Azeem saw the top three batsmen dismissed, having made 16 runs between them. Partnerships formed in the middle order between Roberts (23), Culham (21) and B Grindell (15) to get Kelso to a defendable 121-9 in 20 overs. Kelso made the early breakthrough, with Hindmarsh taking the wickets of Both Ayr openers L Speirs (9) and McKelvie (1). Elliot Speirs put in another great performance with the bat scoring 47 as did McLauglin who made 45 as Ayr cruised past the target of 122 with 3.4 overs to spare, to earn the title of U18 Scottish Cup winners.

Preparation begins for 2013 with a new competition announcement!!

A number of CSL clubs have raised the idea of increasing the amount of 1st XI cricket on Sundays in 2013 and also noted the popularity of the stripped down Western Cup set up for 2012, and as such the WDCU proposes the creation of the WDCU CSL 40 Cup, played to the basic 40 over rules as used in the current Western Cup format for WDCU CSL Reserve League teams and the WDCU Premiership clubs.The suggestion is that these matches (minimum 3 – maximum 9) will be played on Sundays running alongside the extant WDCU Sunday League.With the 16 WDCU CSL clubs having a minimum of 6 Scottish Cup matches in 2013, and coloured clothing being a mandatory requirement of participation, it makes sense for this new competition to be played with coloured clothing and use the WDCU League sponsors, Lords International, pink ball, as per the Scottish Cup.The Proposal is to be issued to the 16 WDCU clubs participating in the CSL and for them to vote whether they wish it to be either a three game round-robin format or a six game round-robin format (home and away fixtures) and to be mandated at the WDCU AGM. The groups will be seeded on the previous years CSL standings and those proposed for 2013 at this time are detailed below, and are subject to change.

The draw is below

Ayr claim Silverware

It was a mixed weekend of results for Local Life Ayr. Saturday saw them fall to a disappointing defeat at home to bottom of the table Stirling in the CSL Premier Division, while on on Sunday they bounced back to defeat Clydesdale in the Final of the West League Cup. On Saturday they batted first and were bowled out for 215 with professional Craig Thyssen continuing his good run of form, top scoring with 90. He got good support from skipper Mark Renny (33) and Like Speirs (37). In reply the Stirling innings was held together opener Josh Edwards. He top scored with 70 as the visitors got home with 10 balls to spare.

On Sunday Ayr again batted first and posted an impressive 171-2 in their 20 overs, Craig Thyssen again in dominating form with 103 n.o. which included 8 sixes. He shared an opening stand of 98 with Neil Smith (34) before Luke Speirs joined him to hit a quick-fire 23. The Clydesdale reply was always behind the run rate thanks to some tight bowling and excellent fielding by the home bowlers as they finished on 126-8 to give Ayr their first silverware of the season.

For the juniors the U13’s had a mixed week which started with a comfortable victory against Ferguslie on Monday as they won by 8 wickets. The following night they travelled to Glasgow play West of Scotland where they lost by 25 runs. The only other game to beat the weather was the U15 game against local rivals Prestwick, who batted first and were bowled out for 69 with Adam Gordon the pick of the bowlers with 3-6. Ayr then knocked of the runs for the loss of only 2 wickets with Muhammed Azeem top scoring with 40 not out.

This weekend sees Local Life Ayr host Uddingston while the Cambsdoon XI travel to Bothwell.

West League Cup Final

This year’s West League Cup Final will be played at New Cambusdoon on Sunday 19th August 2012 with a 3.00pm start.Home club Ayr welcome the visit of Clydesdale in what is expected to be an entertaining final.Ayr Cricket Club extends an invitation to all to come along and watch this year’s league cup competition draw to a close.

Sponsors Day...

The Cricket Section are inviting all sponsors along to the club this saturday 18th August for an afternoon of cricket along with a complimentary buffet and drinks.

All match & board sponsors from this year/season are welcome, please feel free to bring along your partners.

Dumfries chase well again to sink Ayr...

Local Life Ayr fell to a narrow defeat away to Dumfries on Saturday. A win that sees Dumfries return to the top of the CSL Western Premier Division.Ayr won the toss and batted first posting a respectable 216 as they were bowled out in the last over of their innings with professional Craig Thyssen top scoring with 86. He was given excellent support by Callum McLaughlin (37) as the pair put on 111 before both were run out. In reply the Dumfries innings was held together by opening batsman Chris Bellwood whose 92 not out helped see the home team home with 6 balls to spare.

The Cambusdoon XI returned to winning ways as beat Nunholm by 70 runs. The youthful home team batted first and scored 205 with skipper Niall McCrossin leading the way with 80. The bowlers then completed the victory by bowling out the visitors for 135 with Jake Craig top performer with 4-27.

Another week of fine weather allowed the juniors to carry on their god run of victories. The U11’s beat Glasgow Accies by 21 runs while the U15’s beat Clydesdale by 42 runs. Ayr batted first and were bowled out for 120 with Muhammed Azeen (40) and Ivan Craig (36) top scoring. They then bowled out their host for 78 with Adam Gordon taking 3 wickets. The U18’s were also winners are they beat a Irvine/Kilmarnoc select by 10 wickets after restricting then 56-8.

Rain Saves Ayr

As with most of the season the weekend fixtures were effected by the heavy rain on Saturday afternoon and led to both games being abandoned. At Cambusdoon Local Life Ayr played host to Clydesdale. With the visitors batting the match was reduced to 44 overs after an early interruption for rain, and in difficult bowling conditions with the ball resembling a bar of soap posted an impressive 261-2. More heavy rain eventually saw the game being abandoned with Ayr on 57-2.

The Cambusdoon XI also suffered at the hands of the inclement weather in their match away to Titwood. The home team batted first and scored 221-7 with 2 wickets each for Sada Pali and Robbie Henderson. In reply the Cambusdoon men were 49-4 when the rain again put paid to any chance of the game being completed.

The juniors managed a full programme of fixtures for the first time in a number of weeks. On Monday night the U18’s travelled to Titwood to play Clydesdale where they came away with a 9 wicket victory. Clydesdale batted first and scored 105-5, a target which Ayr chased down for the loss of only 1 wicket. Callum McLaughlin finished on 63 not out and Luke Speirs 37 not out. On the same night the U13’s beat Stirling in a low scoring match at Cambusdoon by 8 wickets. On Friday the U11’s lost away to Clydesdale while the U15’s beat Drumpellier by 36 runs. Ayr batted first and scored 91 with Robbie Henderson top scoring with 30. The visitors were then bowled for 55 with 5 wickets for Shujja Khan and 3 for Adam Gordon.

This weekend sees Local Life Ayr away to Dumfries while the Cambusdoon XI are away to Nunholm.

Ayrshire Tour

The Ayrshire Development Group has been on tour in the north of England again this year, following on from their hugely successful and enjoyable tour last season. We have the tour scorecards online, as well as a photograph of the touring party. Dougie Johnstone, reporting on the tour, writes: "On day one of the tournament Ayrshire played the English team Ormskirk in the first game. On winning the toss Ayrshire elected to bat and made a very respectable 141 for 4 with Robbie Henderson (Ayr CC) top-scoring with 47. Ayrshire then restricted Ormskirk to 75 all out with Chris Taylor (Ayr CC) 3 for 2, and Andy Baillie (Prestwick CC) 2 for 17, the best bowlers. Ormskirk included in their ranks some Lancashire representative players and this was an excellent and comprehensive win. "In the afternoon Ayrshire then played the highly fancied Irish team, Leinster, which is the second-biggest club in Ireland boasting nine adult male teams and around 200 juniors. Ayrshire again won the toss and batted first posting an even better 153 for 3 with Mitchell Rao (Prestwick CC) top-scoring with 46 and Muhammad Azeem (Kilmarnock CC) giving good support with 36. Ayrshire then restricted Leinster to 79 for 8 with Andy Baillie again taking two wickets and Jonathan Baines (Ayr CC) taking 2 for 3. "On the second morning Ayrshire faced Welsh opposition in Northop Hall knowing that 40 runs would be enough to see them through. Mitchell Rao again won the toss and batted first. Ayrshire were soon in trouble at 31 for 4 after nine overs however before Mitchell Rao (43 not out) and Luke Johnstone (Ayr CC), 27 not out) rescued the innings with a partnership of 74 to leave Ayrshire on 105 for 4. Ayrshire then bowled superbly and had the Welsh in trouble at 46 for 3, then 75 for 5. The Welsh needed 16 off the last two overs and took 14 off the nineteenth before hitting the winning boundary off the third ball of the last over to win by 5 wickets. However, Ayrshire had qualified for the final against the Welsh and again batted first despite losing the the toss for the only time on tour. Robbie Hendesron (27) and Muhammad Azeem (29) got Ayrshire off to a flier before Mitchell Rao, with a 50, helped see the team to 138 for 4. Northop Hall then put on 68 for an opening partneship in thirteen overs before Jake Johnstone (Ayr CC) broke the crucial partnership. Ayrshire then bowled tightly taking four more wickets to deservedly win the tournament, eventually winning the final by 16 runs. Congratulations to all the boys for their performances, and thanks to Ormskirk CC for creating this tournament and for their hospitality. "Finally, on the third day of the tour, Ayrshire travelled to Keswick for a 35 over game. Ayrshire batted first on a damp wicket and thanks to Michael Miller (Prestwick CC, 43) and Jake Johnstone (39), with an excellent partnership of 80, managed to post a competitive 125 for 7. Keswick were soon in trouble at 24 for 5 but a sixth wicket partnership of 84 between the Travaskas brothers almost saw them home before they lost a further two wickets and scraped home with three wickets and 10 balls to spare. A great game to end a wonderful tour and thanks to Keswick for their hospitality."

Ayr into Final of West League Cup...

Rain again put paid to another weekend’s League Fixture as Local Life Ayr’s game against Greenock was abandoned after only 6 overs with Ayr on 31-1. The two teams did manage to complete a game as Ayr claimed victory in the West League Cup Semi Final at Cambusdoon on Wednesday night. Ayr batted first and got off to a great start with Neil Smith (35) and Craig Thyssen (49) putting on 88 for the first wicket. After they were out Callum McLaughlin (28 n.o.) kept the runs flowing as finished on 148-6 from their 20 overs. In reply Greenock were always struggling, losing regular wickets and only South African professional Sekhoto (51 n.o) making a meaningful score. Andi McElnea continued his good run of form with the ball as he finished with figures of 4-17 as Greenock finished on 98-7 and Ayr ran out winners by 50 runs.

The Cambusdoon XI did manage a game on Saturday and completed a narrow victory over Glenpark in a low scoring game at Cambusdoon. The visitors batted first and were bowled out for 82 with most of the damage being done the in form juniors in the team, with both Robbie Henderson and Shujja Khan taking 3 wickets. In their reply the Cambusdoon men made life hard for themselves as some poor shot selection cost them a number of wickets, with most batsmen making a start before getting out, but eventually they made it over the winning line for the loss of 8 wickets.

The U11’s were the big winners in the Juniors as they beat Poloc by 78 runs at Cambusdoon on Friday night, while the U15’s game against Greenock was abandoned after a number of heavy showers thwarted their attempt to chase down the home teams total of 45.

A number of Ayr juniors were involved in the Ayrshire Development Group tour to Ormskirk where they took part in a Four Nations tournament against the host club, Leinster from Ireland and Northop Hall from Wales. After a round robin competition Ayrshire qualified for the final against Northop Hall who had beaten them earlier they managed to reverse that to record a memorable victory.

This weekend sees Local Life Ayr at home to league leaders Clydesdale while the Cambusdoon XI are away to Titwood

McElnea leads Ayr to win over West (article by Willie Dick)

Andi McElnea emerged as the somewhat unlikely bowling hero as Ayr knocked West of Scotland from their perch at the top of the table with an impressive four-wicket win at Hamilton Crescent.McElnea claimed five wickets which is perhaps not so unlikely from a player who was mentored by former New Zealand Test bowler Brendon Bracewell a few years ago.The surprising part came from the fact that, having been encouraged by Bracewell to develop his potential as a seamer, McElnea subsequently chose to pursue a slow bowling option.It was with his still improving off-spinners that the 24 year-old claimed 5-32 to restrict West to 153-7.McElnea, better known as an opening batsman and good enough to have represented Scotland A, was then able to watch as South African Craig Thyssen led Ayr to victory with a controlled 60no.“It was a great result for the team and one which will give everyone a lift,” remarked McElnea.“Things haven’t been going for us this season but everyone has stuck together and on Saturday we got our reward for sticking to the basics and concentrating throughout the whole match.”Of his own effort, McElnea added: “I’m obviously thrilled to play my part though I didn’t expect to be getting five-wicket hauls with the spinners just yet.“When I was in New Zealand as a teenager Brendon told me to work on the faster stuff but I just decided last winter that I’d fancy taking the pace off the ball and seeing what I could do.“We have plenty seamers in the team so it made sense from that point of view as well.“Hopefully I can keep improving.”While this result moves Ayr into the top half of the table, West have slipped two places with Dumfries reclaiming top spot and Clydesdale going second.Dumfries shrugged-off the effects of a six-week lay-off to make light work of Greenock at Nunholm.Scott Beveridge matched McElnea’s feat with a five-wicket return to help dismiss Greenock for just 115.Chris McCutcheon weighed-in with three scalps while Sailesh Prabhu offered the only resistance with 31.Dumfries suffered a dose of the wobbles, slumping to 19-3, before Beveridge showed his all-rounder skills with 38 as the hosts eased to a five-wicket success with eighteen overs to spare.Recovering Saltires seamer Safy Sharif was another bowler to claim five wickets as Clydesdale continued their revival with a four-wicket success at Stirling.Sharif, still on the comeback trail from a side injury, proved that he is nearing full form and fitness with 5-21 as Stirling were bundled out for 175.Patrick Balfour (41) and Zeeshan Bashir (30) were Dale’s main scorers while Josh Edwards’ four wickets were in vain for Stirling.Drumpellier may have been idle for much of the season, completing just two games prior to Saturday’s Lanarkshire derby at Uddingston.However, they took out their frustrations in fine style with their first victory of the campaign.Asid Mohammed scored a half-century and skipper Graeme McLaren 45no as the Coatbridge side overhauled Uddingston’s 163 with four wickets and eleven balls in hand.

Spinner McElnea leads Ayr to victory at West

Local Life Ayr got back to winning ways as they recorded a comfortable victory away to West of Scotland at Hamilton Crescent. The home team batted first in a match reduced to 47 overs after the start was delayed by a heavy shower of rain and scored 153-7 with Andi McElnea taking 5-32 in what was a good all round bowling display by the Ayr men. The Ayr reply got off to a solid start before Andi McElnea departed for 18 to bring South African professional Craig Thyssen to the crease and his 60 not out helped see Ayr to their target with 10 overs to spare. He got good support from Neil Smith 23 and Elliot Speirs 18. The win lifts Ayr to third in the table.

The Cambusdoon XI were at home to Partick on Saturday and lost by 76 runs. The visitors batted first and scored 240-7 with Callum Gordon pick of the bowlers with 4-60. In reply the Cambusdoon men lost wickets at regular intervals and no batsmen was able to go on and make the big score required to see them home. Top scorers were teenagers Shujja Khan with 39 and Robbie Henderson (29) as they were bowled out for 164.

There was a clean sweep of victories for the juniors. On Monday the U18’s beat Kelburne by 5 runs, while on Friday the U11’s beat East Kilbride by 36 runs and in a low scoring game the U15’s beat West of Scotland by 3 wickets. The home team were bowled out for 34 with Chris Taylor taking 4-5 including a hat trick.In reply Ayr were reduced to 17-7 before making their target.

This week sees Local Life Ayr play Greenock on Wednesday in the Semi Final of the West League Cup at Cambusdoon and then on Saturday they meet again on League duty this time at Glenpark. The Cambusdoon XI are at home to Glenpark XI on Saturday.

Back in Action

At long last the rain has relented and enabled some cricket to get played. Local Life Ayr completed their Scottish Cup campaign at home on Saturday with a 39 run defeat to Forfarshire.

The visitors batted first and scored 225-7 in their 50 overs with Scotland international Matty Parker top scoring with 57. In reply Ayr were always up with the required run rate, but the loss of wickets at regular intervals and they fell 39 runs short of their target with more than seven of their allocated overs remaining. There were useful contributions from Mark Renny, Callum McLaughlin and Neil Logan who got into the 30’s but were not able to go on and make the big score required to see Ayr over the winning line.

The Cambusdoon XI were on Western Cup duty away to Prestwick on Saturday where they were put in to bat and scored 186. Luke Speirs top scored with 75 and was given good support from Niall McCrossin (21) and Robbie Henderson (28). In reply Prestwick reached their total for the loss of eight wickets with nine overs to spare. Their were 2 wickets each for Ross McKelvie, Robbie Henderson and Callum Gordon.

In the Juniors there were no matches for the club XI’s, but a number were on duty at Prestwick on Sunday as the Ayrshire U14’s took on there compatriots from Dumfries and Galloway in the Area Championship. Ayrshire batted first and scored an impressive 232-5. Shujaa Khan top scored with 71 and had excellent support for Callum Henderson (54), Harry Lynch (44 n.o.) and Jonathon Baines (27). In reply Dumfries and Galloway were bowled out for 93 with Rory Parker taking 3-10.

On Thursday after a superb effort by Rick McElnea and his groundstaff at Cambusdoon, Scotland were able to play their World Cricket League match against Canada. The Canadians batted first and were bowled out for 176, a total the Scots reached for the loss of 6 wickets. Callum McLeod was star performer with the bat top scoring with 99 not out.

This weekend sees Local Life Ayr back on League duty when they take on West of Scotland at Hamilton Crescent while the Cambusdoon XI take on Partick.

Cambusdoon Golf Challenge

Sunday 7th October 2012 over Seafield Golf Course (Medal Tee's)

all proceeds to MSC Ayrshire

Format:Teams of four --- Stableford --- Full Handicap --- Maximum 24

One best score first six holes --- 2 best scores second six --- 3 best scores last last six holes.

Cost to include 2 course meal afterwards at Cambusdoon Sports Club

£5 non refundable entry fee payable when entry made ie £20 per team

Further cost payable by 15th September

Full season ticket : £10Leisure Card Holder: £25Players without season ticket: £30

Organising committee will communicate with team captains.

All fees to be paid to organising committee who will then pay South Ayrshire Council for golf. Team captains must name their teams and submit season ticket holder ID numbers to committee or leisure card numbers if appropriate. Cheques made payable to Cambusdoon Sports Club.

To enter please to £20 to D Dickie, H Jefferson, S Jefferson or bar staff with details of team captain a telephone number or better still an email address.

There are only 15 times available from 9.50 am until 11.37 am competition restricted to first come first served. There are ho other times.

Entry lists will be posted on notice boards when received.

Scotland v Canada Report

Calum MacLeod produced a match-winning innings but fell just one run short of a maiden ODI century as Scotland ended their long wait for action by easing past Canada at sun-kissed Cambusdoon yesterday.The Saltires had been idle since 4 June but they brushed off the cobwebs to claim two valuable points in their quest to book a place at the 2015 World Cup.This win takes them into second place in the eight-team table from which the top two will automatically claim the big prize and, while they have played two games more than third-top UAE, their fate is in their own hands.After restricting the Canadians to 176 on a slow but remarkably good track, the Scots had MacLeod to thank for finishing the job. The Uddingston batsman, attracting the interest of Northants, produced easily the best innings of the day on his way to a first ODI half-century.MacLeod saw the early loss of opening partner Kyle Coetzer with just six runs on the board but his stand of 92 for the second wicket with Josh Davey put the Scots on course. Davey contributed just 23 of them before being bowled by Durand Soraine while Gordon Goudie weighed in with a rapid 17 in his mid-innings pinch-hitting role. However, MacLeod compiled the one innings of substance in his best ODI display to date.Using the sweep shot to particularly good effect, the 23 year-old’s half-century came at almost a run-a-ball and included eight boundaries. MacLeod looked set to reach three figures, having moved to 98 when an overthrow rather anti-climactically presented him with his final run and the Scots with a four-wicket victory with 46 balls to spare. His 99 came from 127 balls and included 12 boundaries.Earlier Scotland produced a workmanlike performance in the field to restrict their rivals to little more than three runs an over. However, there was spirited resistance from Ruvindu Gunasekera, who compiled a fine 69-ball half-century before he was teased out of his crease by Majid Haq and Craig Wallace completed the stumping. Zeeshan Siddiqi kept the score ticking over with a patient 43 before he became Haq’s second victim after hitting his own wicket.Haq recorded excellent figures of two for 19 from his ten overs but Scotland’s cause was aided by some chaotic Canadian batting as the visitors slipped to 176 all out, losing their last three wickets to run-outs.Scorecard

Cricket Section Ball

This years Cricket Section Ball has been booked for Friday the 26th October again at the Carlton Hotel.

The event will kick off at 7pm and tickets (£45 per head) are available through contacting Gavin Caven on07833 615084.

The event has limited spaces so be sure to get in touch with Gav before the end of August.

We still have no selected local charity for this years event so if you have any charity you would like to push forward get in touch with Gav.

Scotland v England game in jeopardy

Worried Scotland cricket officials last night feared they will have to call off their showpiece clash with England – more than a month before it is due to be staged.

They underlined their anxiety after the country’s top venue – Citylets Grange in Edinburgh – looked more like a loch than a cricket ground. The latest downpours to hit the capital left the outfield under several feet of water in places, with part of a perimeter wall collapsing under the strain. And Cricket Scotland operations manager Euan McIntyre admitted he and his colleagues are likely to have “some hard decisions” to make over the visit of the English superstars, scheduled for 12 August.

McIntyre said: “The scene at the Grange is very bleak. The whole area around the ground is completely saturated – there is just nowhere for all the excess water to go. There must now be some doubt about our ability to host the England match, which is a big concern. Even if the actual playing area recovers, it would leave the problem of trying to erect the temporary stands and other paraphernalia we would need for the game. A lot of that stuff is earmarked to be located where the water is at its deepest and the surface may be struggling to cope. With no effective drying weather on the horizon, the issue will need to be addressed sooner rather than later and some hard decisions may have to be made.”

This week’s crucial World Cup qualifying matches against Canada at Citylets Grange been cancelled, with McIntyre and his colleagues desperately trying to find an alternative playable venue. Scotland’s four-day I-Cup tussle with the Canadians at Uddingston was washed out without a single ball being bowled last week. And despite the fact that the Bothwell Castle Policies wicket may be playable, the International Cricket Council could not grant the ground ODI status at such short notice.

Match referee David Jukes yesterday inspected conditions Ayr’s Cambusdoon, which is an accredited venue. And last night it was confirmed the sides will square up there tomorrow and Wednesday.

Rain continues meaning cricket season halted!

Yet more rain and another week of no senior cricket. Only two junior matches survived the weather, both on Friday night. The U11’s lost at home to Prestwick while the U15’s had an emphatic victory away to Hillhead where they batted first and scored 184-6 with Muhammed Azeem scoring a superb unbeaten 104. They then bowled their hosts out for 46 to win by 138 runs.

This weekend sees Local Life Ayr at home to Forfarshire in the last game of the Scottish Cup sections while the Cambusdoon XI are away to Prestwick in the Western Cup. Local Life Ayr are also due to play Irvine in the West League Cup at Cambusdoon on Wednesday night, but this will depend on whether the One Day Internationals between Scotland and Canada takes place at Cambusdoon. They have been moved from Grange in Edinburgh where parts of the ground is under five foot of water as a nearby river burst its banks during the torrential rain on Saturday.

Scotland v Canada switched to Ayr

The ICC have agreed to a late venue switch for the Pepsi World Cricket League Championship games between Scotland and Canada to Ayr Cricket Club after the original ground at The Grange was declared unplayable after the ground was flooded when the Water of Leith burst its banks following recent heavy rainfall.

A formal request to move the fixture was made by the host Cricket Scotland to ICC today (Sunday). The final decision to switch venues was made after consultation with the ICC, an investigation of the conditions at Ayr and discussing the options with both team managements, who both agreed to the change of venue because of the exceptional circumstances.

The first match day, scheduled for Monday 9 July, has already been abandoned. It is hoped that, with the benefit of a full day of preparation, the first WCL Championship game will now utilise the reserve day and be played at Ayr on Tuesday 10 July. The second ODI will be played as scheduled on Wednesday 11 July with the facility to use the reserve day on Thursday 12th July if required.

Washed out!

Another weekend and another washout as rain was once again the winner as all senior cricket was lost to the incredibly inclement weather this summer is producing.

Only three juniors matches were able to be played. On Monday night the U18’s ran out victors by 10 wickets at home to Renfrew. The visitors batted first and were restricted to 62-6 with Elliot Speirs taking 4 wickets. Ayr were never in trouble in their reply and openers Callum McLaughlin and Shujja Khan saw them home with overs to spare. On the same night the U13’s had a comfortable victory as they won away at Glasgow Accies. The home team could only manage 43-9 in their 20 overs, a total the Ayr boys reached for the loss of only two wickets. On Sunday the U13’s travelled to Stenhousemuir for the Scottish Cup finals day where they were beaten by West of Scotland. Chasing 100 they sadly fell 22 short as they were bowled out for 78.

This weekend Local Life Ayr take on Stenhousemuir at Cambusdoon in the Scottish Cup while the Cambusdoon XI are away to Glasgow Accies in the Western Cup.

Vision Coaching Camp set to begin!

Washed out Weekend

The heavy rain of Friday and Saturday washed out the full league programme in Scotland including Local Life Ayr’s game away to Uddingston. The only senior game for Ayr took place at Cambusdoon on Wednesday night when they hosted Prestwick in the West League Cup. Batting first Ayr scored an impressive 157-3. Top performers were Neil Smith (43), Andi McElnea (34) and Douglas Johnstone (33 n.o.). In the Prestwick reply the Ayr bowlers were always on top and bowled the visitors out for 69 with Neil Logan taking 3-18 as Ayr gained revenge for their defeat earlier in the season and put them back in contention to qualify from the group stages.

In the juniors the U18’s had a nail biting finish as they tied with Drumpellier on Monday night in the Scottish Cup. Ayr batted first and were bowled out for 101. Drumpellier appeared to be in control until they lost 3 wickets in the last over to tie the match and head back to Drumpellier for a reply on Tuesday night. On Thursday night at Cambusdoon the U13B team beat Poloc, while the U15B lost away to Poloc on the same night. A number of Ayr juniors were playing for the West District U15’s against their East counterparts at Greenock. Muhammad Azeem scored 48 and then took 3 wickets, while Robbie Henderson took 4 wickets including a hat trick as the West ran out comfortable winners.

Sunday saw Cambusdoon host the Regional Series match between the Western Warriors and the Eastern Knights. The Warriors batted first and scored 201-8 with Majid Haq top scoring with 46 not out. He was then to star with the ball taking 2-17 as the Knights were bowled out for 126, Scott McElnea continuing in his rich vein of form taking 3-23.

This week sees Local Life Ayr host Drumpellier on Saturday while the Cambusdoon XI are away to Langloan. Cambusdoon will also play host this week to the Scottish Lions v MCC 3 day game on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with play starting at 11.00 each day. The MCC team will consist of a number of Scottish players including ex Scotland captains Craig Wright and Ryan Watson as well ex County players, Mark Chilton of Lancashire and Toby Bailey of Northants

Scotland Lions v MCC

The Scotland Lions and MCC squads has been announced for a 3-day match starting Wednesday (20-22 June) at Cambusdoon, Ayr.The Lions feature the majority of the Cricket Scotland contracted players, along with several players looking to establish their place in the national team.

Ewan Chalmers, Ryan Flannigan, Calvin Burnett and Moneeb Iqbal will be looking to push their case for more international honours after featuring for the Development XI against Ireland A last week.

Richie Berrington’s dislocated finger has recovered sufficiently after the Saltires recent trip to Hampshire and Jan Stander has received a call up after impressing in domestic cricket.

There will be a few familiar faces featuring for the MCC, former Scotland captains, Craig Wright and Ryan Watson with Sanjay Patel and Toby Bailey all included in the touring side.The Lions will travel south the following week to take on Lancashire at Chester Boughton Hall CC, starting next Tuesday (26-28 June).Both the MCC and Lancashire will pose tough tests for the Lions, before the selectors attention turns to Scotland’s important matches against Canada in the Intercontinental Cup and World Cricket League fixtures in early July.Scotland LionsEwan Chalmers, Ryan Flannigan, Calvin Burnett, Craig Wallace, Richie Berrington, Simon Smith (wk), Matthew Parker, Calum MacLeod, Majid Haq, Moneeb Iqbal, Jan Stander, Gordon GoudieMCC Craig Wright (capt), Arfan Akram, Ryan Watson, Clinton Perren, Mark Chilton, Sanjay Patel, Joshua Knappett, Toby Bailey (wk), Wes Morrick, Nicholas Buchanen, Jamie Wakefield

Ayr defeat Prestwick in great T20 performance

Ayr defeated Prestwick last night in the West League Cup at Cambusdoon. Batting first Ayr made 157-4 mainly thanks to useful contributions from Neil Smith (43) and Andi McElnea (34) who put on 66 for the first wicket before Douglas Johnstone (33*) finished the innings with a flurry of boundaries to project the score up to 157.

Ayr started well with the ball and picked up regular wickets throughout the innings, Neil Logan was the pick of the bowlers with 3-17 on his return to first team action.

Ayr still have to face Hillhead and Irvine in the West league Cup before the winners of the group will progress to the semi-finals. If Ayr can continue to win well they should be in with a good shot of topping the group.

Irvin Iffla Sheild...

Cricket silverware is not often handed out in June but Ayr’s victory over Stirling at New Williamfield on Saturday was worth more than ten points in their quest to climb up the table.

In addition they became the recipients of the Irvin Iffla Shield, a trophy which will be up for grabs each time these sides meet. The prize has been raised in honour of the great West Indian all-rounder, who captained both Stirling and Ayr, after settling in Scotland in the 1950s.

Iffla died this year, and Keith Graham, who has also skippered the two sides, was a guest of honour to witness the unveiling of a memorial bench before Ayr completed an 83-run win.

Graham said: “Irvin was a great man and a great cricketer and this trophy is a fitting way to keep his memory alive. He was a straight-talking guy that you didn’t mess with. He was also a very generous man. Often in games that didn’t matter too much he would get a young player out lbw but not appeal because he wanted to give the youngster another chance.”

Iffla would no doubt be an asset around either of these clubs both of whom are in a period of transition. On the day it was Craig Thyssen, Ayr’s South African professional, who made the difference. Thyssen stroked a superb 97, supported by Andi McElnea’s 38, as the visitors posted 212.

Stirling never got going and they were dismissed for just 128.

Smith hits Ton but Dumfries had last say

Ayr were put to the sword by the men from Dumfries as all senior teams lost to the Doonhamers. On Saturday Local Life fell to a narrow defeat at home as Dumfries chased down the Ayr total of 234-5 to win with one over to spare. The Ayr innings got off to a solid start and after the loss of Andi McElnea new South African professional Craig Thyssen in his first league game for the club and Neil Smith put on 109 for the second wicket before Thyssen fell for 61.

Smith duly went on to complete his maiden century for the club finishing on 105*. He got valuable support at the end of the innings from Douglas Johnstone(26). The Ayr opening bowlers Elliot Speirs and Scott McElnea both struck early in the Dumfries innings as the visitors were reduced to 9-2 before U19 Internationalist Tom McBride (51) and Australian amateur Josh Geary (130 n.o.) put on 150 for the third wicket. With Geary still at the crease Dumfries were always in control and reached there target with 11 balls remaining.

On Wednesday night Local Life Ayr got their first sighting of new professional Craig Thyssen as they took on Irvine in the West League Cup. Ayr batted first and scored 125-4 with Thyssen top scoring with 67. Once Ayr removed Irvine professional Shoaib Khan for 37 they were always in control as their hosts ended on 80-9 with Andi McElnea finishing with figures of 4-16.

A youthful Cambusdoon XI lost away to Nunholm on Saturday. Batting first they were bowled out for 93 with Calvin Hay top scoring with 34. The hosts then reached their target in quick time to record a 10 wicket victory.

On Sunday the Development XI also travelled to Nunholm and put up a good performance as they fell to defeat in their first match of the season. Ayr batted first and posted a respectable 181-9 in their 40 overs. Elliot speirs top scoring with 82 and well supported by Ross McKelvie (31) and Calvin Hay (21). The youthful Ayr attack managed to keep the home teams run rate in check for most of the innings but a century from Richardson saw them home with 2 overs to spare.

In the juniors the U11’s had a comfortable victory away to Poloc. The U13’s had a busy week, on Monday they lost at home to Clydesdale in the league. On Wednesday the B team lost at home to Kilmarnock and then on Sunday they beat Galloway in the Scottish Cup the highlight of the match being a hat trick for Matthew Davidson. On Friday night the U15’s had a comfortable victory against a joint Ferguslie/Kelburne team, bowling the visitors out for 43 and then Ivan Craig and Robbie Henderson knocking off the runs in 4 overs.

This weekend sees Local Life Ayr away to Stirling County while the Cambusdoon XI host William field.

Congratulations to the winnigs Trade 6s Team

The winnings trade 6s team from last Sundays tournament.The club would like to thank everyone involved for coming along and taking part during the day, it was a huge succes and we hope that everyone enjoyed it.

Dumfries head to Ayr with 100% record

The new Cricket Scotland League was always going to represent a step into the unknown, but nobody could have predicted that, three weeks into the campaign, Dumfries would be sitting proudly at the summit of the Western competition with three consecutive victories. In advance of the action commencing, many people were tipping the likes of Clydesdale and Uddingston for honours and even Stuart Corbett-Byers, the gritty Dumfries captain, who steered his side to a nerve-shredding one-wicket win over Stirling County at the weekend, admits that his club’s principal aim, when the summer started, was to stay in the division. Yet now, following comprehensive trouncings of Greenock and Clydesdale, the skipper realises something special is happening for the Nunholm ensemble.

“We are trying to avoid putting ourselves under pressure, but things have definitely gone well so far, and I think we are benefiting from the fact nobody knows a lot about us, and yet we have plenty of competition for places and a lot of ambitious players in our squad,” said Corbett-Byers, whose unbeaten 72 against Stirling was a model of maturity and controlled aggression. “I reckon the Clydesdale victory was a big turning point, which opened a few people’s eyes, because we have a good mixture of youth and experience, a spirit of togetherness which comes from the fact many of us have played together for a while, and there are 30 or 40 kids turning up at training every Monday, so the buzz is spreading throughout the club at the moment. Nobody is getting carried away, but we believe we have shown we deserve to be where we are and we have to kick on.”

This Dumfries collective boasts a string of redoubtable characters; the sort of tough-as-teak individuals who will not be intimidated wherever they venture. Scott Beveridge has shone with bat and ball and in the field, whilst Patrick Druce has proved a menace for opponents, and the likes of Chris Belwood and Corbett-Byers have flourished in their new environment. They were forced to dig deep in chasing County’s target of 265 on Saturday, and even had to win the contest twice, following a misunderstanding between the officials, but it is a mark of Corbett-Byers’ leadership that he has infused his troops with a steely desire to keep setting new standards and claiming fresh scalps.

“We are away to Ayr in our next fixture, and that promises to be a big challenge, because I don’t think that we have ever beaten them at their new ground, and they will be doing their best to preserve that record,” said Corbett-Byers. “But we just have to do our best to raise our standards, work on parts of the game such as not conceding too many extras, and, basically, keeping our feet on the ground. If we do that, we should be okay.”

This looming joust is as close to a local derby as Dumfries can arrange, but the camaraderie in their team suggests they maintain their charge, and particularly given the plight of opponents such as Greenock, who are a pale shadow of the force which once dominated Scottish cricket a decade ago. In contrast, Corbett-Byers is involved with a side on the rise and nobody will relish the trip to Nunholm as the summer unfolds.

Locallife Ayr crash to defeat at Titwood

Locallife Ayr crashed to defeat at the hands of Clydesdale on Saturday. Ayr lost the toss and were asked to bowl first on what looked liked like a good batting wicket with favourable conditions for batting. The home side got off to a poor start with Scott McElnea again taking two early wickets with the new ball, the home side then recovered well to get to 160-5 with useful contributions from Barbour (39) Farid (57) and Bashir (40) before a late flurry of bounderies from Butt (35) took the home side total of 212 all out. Scott McElnea was again the pick of the bowlers with 6-43. Ayr will be disappointed with an injury that occurred during the innings to Callum Leck, a difficult caught and bowled chance resulted in a double fracture and dislocation to his finger meaning at least 4 weeks on the sideline for Leck. Ayr are currently without Calum McLaughlin due to injury he is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks having had surgery last week on his appendix.

Locallife Ayr started poorly in their chase to get to 212 when Smith was out in the second over for 1 caught behind. This brought Elliot Speirs to the crease and together with Andi McElnea they took the score nicely along to 56 before Haq came into the attack for the home side. Haq took two quick wickets to remove Speirs (21) and McKelvie for a duck, this brought Mark Renny to the crease but he was involved in a run out with McElnea resulting in him being dismissed just at the wrong time as Ayr looked to keep up with the rate. Haq then took the game by the scruff of the neck and Ayr were shot out for a disappointing 85, Andi McElnea the last man out for 31. Haq finishing with figures of (4-10).

Locallife Ayr defeated Greenock in the second week of the league season.

Ayr batted first and made a useful 216-5 thanks to a super stand between Mark Renny (74) and Calum McLaughlin (55). Ayr got their innings off to a bad start when Andi McElnea was trapped in front in the second over of the day, but Neil Smith and Calum McLaughlin played sensibly and got the score along to 40 before Smith was out caught in the covers. Mark Renny came to the crease to join McLaughlin and together they played well and built the base for Ayr’s total of 216. Greenock’s innings started in similar fashion to Ayr’s when they lost opener Neil Flack in the first over off the bowling of Scott McElnea, Scott McElnea then removed Greenock professional 2 overs later clean bowled. Berrington (31), Prabu (50) and Baum (43) all played well for the visitors but wickets fell throughout the innings thanks to Douglas Johnstone (3-34) before Scott McElnea came back into the attack and was rewarded for his earlier efforts by picking up another 3 wickets to finish with much deserved match figures of (5-25) which allowed Ayr to win by 46 runs.

Updated Cricket Calendar for all Senior and Junior Fixtures

Check out the calendar to make sure you don't miss any games this summer!!View Here

Cricket Scotland League Details

From 2012 the SNCL will be renamed the Cricket Scotland League (CSL) and will consist of a Western and Eastern Conference each of 16 teams. The Conferences will consist of a Premier Division and First Division of eight teams.All matches to start at 12 noon unless otherwise agreed

On completion of the league season –

The winners of the Western and Eastern Premier Divisions will contest the Cricket Scotland Premiership Final, to be held at a suitable neutral venue in alternate years in the East and West.

In both Conferences the team finishing bottom of their respective Premier Division will be relegated and the winner of the First Division promoted.

There will be a Play off between the team finishing last in the Western First Division and the winner of the WDCU Premiership with the winner playing in the CSL Western First Division the following season.

There will be a Play off between the between the team finishing last in the Eastern First Division and the winner of the ESCA / SPCU Play off (subject to eligibility); with the winner playing in the CSL the following season.

Ivan Craig Scores ton for Ayrshire

Ivan Craig yesterday smashed 100 runs for the Ayrshire under 14s team against Lanarkshire.

Ayr lose to Forfarshire in Scottish Cup

Locallife Ayr again lost in the Scottish Cup at the weekend, beaten at Forfarshire by 9 wickets.

Ayr batted first on a good surface and posted what seemed a competitive 194 thanks to useful contributions from Neil Smith (39) and Mark Renny (31).

Ayr got their innings off to a good start with the new opening partnership of Smith and McElnea ticking the score along. The innings was then kept going nicely by the middle order of Renny and Johnstone (25) before a late flurry from Leck and Scott McElnea meant that Ayr reached 194.

The second innings started well for Ayr when Scott McElnea bowled the opener for a duck, but this was the last celebrations for Ayr. Scotland Wicket Keeper Craig Wallace came to the crease and together with Brendon Ford took the Ayr attack apart dispatching anything loose from the bowlers to the boundary. Ford brought up his century shortly before Forfarshire reached their target with plenty of over’s to go.

Ayr get West League Cup campaign off to a good start

Ayr first eleven beat Hillhead in the first West League Cup game of the season. Hillhead won the toss and put in Ayr into bat on what looked like a decent batting surface. Ayr got their innings off to a poor start when Andi McElnea was run out for just 10. Mark Renny was next man in and together with Neil Smith they played sensibly and put together a score of 105 off 20 overs. Mark Renny finished with 47* playing with controlled aggression for much of his innings. Neil Smith was out in the last over for a slow 24.

The second innings started well with Scott McElnea and Elliot Speirs picking up early wickets and restricting the scoring. Callum Leck then took 3 wickets in the middle overs to do enough to ensure that Ayr held on by one run to beat Hillhead.

Ayr are away to Prestwick in the next match on the 16th May.

Ayr lose to Stenhousemuir in Scottish Cup (Article by David Potter)

Mark Renny won the toss at a chilly Tryst and asked the home side to bat first. It was a decision that paid quick dividends when captain Kirk Crichton was trapped in front by Scott McElnea, fresh from his Scotland Lions debut against Warwickshire, with only 9 on the board, and ten runs later Sanjay Rakshit was run out, to put the visitors on top.

However Stenhousemuir’s overseas duo of professional Rushdi Jappie and overseas amateur Etienne Nagel steadied the ship with a 105 run partnership to take the initiative away from Local Life Ayr. Nagel was the dominant partner hitting Dougie Johnstone for two sixes in the one over and putting the mobile phone masts in danger.

Jappie eventually was trapped in front by Andi McElnea having made 32, but this did not stop the home side continuing to gather runs, against some wayward Ayr bowling. They closed their innings on 221 for 8 with Nagel top scoring with 86, which came from 125 balls and included seven fours and three sixes. Callum McLaughlin was the pick of the Ayr attack finishing with 4 for 42 from his nine over spell.

Ayr got off to a slow start against the opening attack of Nick Lister and former Ayr player Shahzad Rafiq, and with nine on the board Andi McElnea gloved a sharp rising delivery from Nick Lister to give Stennie the early breakthrough.

It was a position from which they never really recovered as wickets fell at regular intervals with only Chris Preece and Mark Renny getting into double figures. Renny top scoring with 26 not out as the Cambusdoon side slumped to 120 all out. Former Dunfermline player Yasar Arafat did the damage with 4 for 16 from his 10 overs, with Jappie and Shahzad picking up 2 wickets each.

With the other match in Group D cancelled Freuchie and Stenhousemuir now top the league with three points each.

Away to Stenhousemuir in the second match of the Scottish Cup Group Stages.

The First Eleven will be looking to bounce back after last week’s disappointing display against Freuchie at home in the opening Scottish cup group game.

Last week’s match saw Ayr bowled out for a below par 84 runs, with the conditions expected to be similar this weekend the batsmen are going to have to apply themselves better if they are to post a more respectable score this week. Ayr did however bowl and field well last week so if they can keep up the efforts with the ball then a positive result could be on the cards.

The side will be bolstered by the availability of Chris Preece who pushes young Robbie Henderson out of the side.

Scott McElnea again will be in high spirits having been away with the Scotland Lions mid week to face Warwickshire, Ayr will be looking for Scott to set the tone when he gets a chance with the new ball.

The match has kindly been sponsored by Howard Jefferson. The section would like to thank all sponsors who have put their name down at the club to sponsor a match this season. If you would like to sponsor a match you can do so by visiting the club or online through the contact page.

Ayr v Freuchie

This weekend Ayr First Eleven begin thier season with a home fixture to Freuchie.Ayr play three scottish cup games before the league begins. Ayr will be playing in their new coloured kits this weekend as the Scottish Cup is played with a pink ball in 2012.Ayr's Coloured kits have been kindly sponsored by Dalblair Vets, Ayr.

This season it has been decided that all first eleven matches will begin at 12pm.

Craig Thyssen joins Ayr as Professional for 2012

Ayr Cricket Club has signed South African Craig Thyssen as professional for 2012. Craig plays for The Chevrolet Warriors a combined Eastern Province and Border first class cricket team in South Africa. The home venues of the Warriors are St George's Park, Port Elizabeth and Buffalo Park, East London.

Craig previously played in Scotland in 2009, with Stenhousemuir. In that season Craig scored 680 runs at an average of 56 and highest score of 190. Ayr will be hoping that Craig can have another successful season when he arrives in the next fortnight.

Western Warriors edge out Eastern Knights (Article by Willie Dick)

Scott McElnea produced a match-winning display as Western Warriors edged out Eastern Knights in a low-scoring thriller.Scott McElnea last night produced a match-winning display as Western Warriors edged out Eastern Knights in a low-scoring thriller.The star-studded Knights, boasting eight full caps, started as firm favourites against an inexperienced Warriors line-up as a new Regional Series kicked-off at chilly Goldenacre.But debutant McElnea, a member of Scotland’s World Cup-bound U19s, claimed the key wickets of Preston Mommsen, Ryan Flannigan and Ewan Chalmers as the visitors took control.The Knights never recovered from McElnea’s early burst and two wickets apiece for Mo Afzal, Josh Edwards and Moneeb Iqbal saw them crash to 111 all out.Ayr youngster McElnea also showed nerves of steel with the bat as the hosts fought back to have the Warriors wobbling.Stuart Chalmers claimed five wickets and appeared to have put the hosts on course for an unlikely win by reducing West to 101-9.However, last man McElnea helped Majid Haq eek out the remaining runs needed for victory.

The Warriors face their next test when they entertain champions Caley Highlanders on Sunday.

Match Cancelled!

Both games have been cancelled this weekend as the square is unplayable after a week of heavy showers.

Training will now take place on both Saturday and Sunday at the club from 12pm-2pm.

Can all players make an effort to get along to at least one session.

Ayr kick season off...

Ayr kick the season off this Saturday against Uddingston.

Play is set to begin at 12pm so if you’re in the area pop along and catch some of the action.

Sundays match against West of Scotland has been cancelled due to shortage of players for the visitors.

Bad News for Pro Rutherford

Ayr Cricket Club professional Hamish Rutherford who was expected to arrive next week will no longer be joining the club for the coming season.

Hamish recently scored a career best 239 against Wellington in New Zealand, but during his innings he was struck on the hand by the ball which caused him to fracture a bone in his arm. It was originally expected that Hamish would still be able to join the club for the coming season but with the fracture not healing quickly it has been decided that Hamish will stay in New Zealand to ensure he recovers fully from the injury.

Cold snaps stops play!

The recent cold snap has meant that the start of the cricket season will be delayed by a week, Senior training will now begin on Tuesday 10th April at 6pm.

Ayr kicks off the season with two friendlies against Uddingston (21st) and West of Scotland (22nd).

This weekend’s fixture against Drumpellier has been cancelled, as the frost in the ground has hampered preparation on the square.

Cricket Snow Happening...

Cricket nets were due to start on Tuesday 3rd April but due to what can only be described as snowy conditions they have been postponed till Thursday (5th).

The first senior match is due to start on Saturday (7th) with the cold blast that we have had this week, we will probably be cutting it fine to get the ground ready for the match. Team selection will be made on Thursday, so lookout for that under the senior cricket tab.

If the match is cancelled it will be online so keep logging on to find out over the next few days!

Centuries keep coming for Rutherford

Talk about mad March. Hamish Rutherford has scored more runs this month than most of his team-mates have all year and a lot of them came yesterday.

The 22-year-old left-hander wrote himself into the record books with a staggering innings of 239 on day two of the Plunket Shield match against Wellington at the University Oval.When bad light stopped play, Otago was 487 for seven, in reply to Wellington's paltry first-innings offering of 112.Rutherford resumed on 101 and had to stick it out early. He was struck twice by left-arm speedster Andy McKay but when the ball was pitched up he unleashed some devastating drives.

With the runs mounting, the records kept tumbling. He became only the ninth batsman to score a double century for Otago when he tucked a delivery off his hip down to the third man boundary for four.

Remarkably, Rutherford became the third member of his family to reach the milestone for Otago, joining his father, Ken, and uncle Ian.

Ken scored an undefeated 226 for Otago against India at Carisbrook in January 1990, and Ian scored 222 against Central Districts at Pukekura Park in March 1979.

Hamish eclipsed both those efforts.

Ken became somewhat of a folk hero in Otago for his dashing strokeplay and forged a useful international career, after a dreadful start.

While Hamish does not yet possess his father's wide array of shots, his cover and square drives come straight from the coaching manual and he is certainly not afraid to hitthe ball in the air.

He had a life on 152, when he was caught just in front of the sight screen off a no-ball from Luke Woodcock, and moments later, when a lofted drive eluded the fielder.

But some of the shots he hit down the ground were executed with a precision rarely seen and he displayed an enormous amount of discipline in a stay of more than eight hours.

He did not play the hook shot, barely pulled the ball or clipped deliveries off his pads too often.

In fact, the first ball he worked off his hip for a boundary was to raise his 200.

The celebration that followed was rather subdued. He looked exhausted, simply removed his helmet and raised both arms above his head in salute to the Otago dressing room.

It has been an incredible month. He replaced the captain, Aaron Redmond, in the team for the match against Northern Districts and scored back-to-back hundreds - a rare feat in itself.

His 216-run partnership with Derek de Boorder (92) was an Otago sixth-wicket record, eclipsing the previous mark set by Glenn Turner and Warren Lees of 165 against Wellington in 1975-76. He has the ground record, overtaking Peter Fulton's innings of 221 not out.

He is the ninth player to score a double-century for Otago and it is the seventh highest individual innings for the province. Only three batsmen - the incomparable Bert Sutcliffe, Roger Blunt and Matt Horne - have made higher scores.

He has scored 607 runs this month, which has to be some kind of record. Only Craig Cumming has scored more runs for Otago this season and Rutherford is only halfway through his fourth game.

His mammoth effort was still sinking in when he spoke to the Otago Daily Times shortly after stumps. He was unaware of most of the records approaching and had not had a chance to catch up with his father, who lives in South Africa.

"He is probably only just getting up and I won't phone him because it costs too much," Hamish joked.

"He'll probably give me a buzz later tonight. He'll just say you've still got another 30-odd hundreds to go, or something like that. But I'm sure he'll be pretty happy sitting back at home."

Ken scored 35 first-class hundreds, including 14 for Otago, so he still commands family bragging rights.

Overshadowed by Rutherford's effort was a brilliant innings from de Boorder, which ended when he was trapped lbw by McKay, for 92.

Training to Commence

Outdoor Cricket nets will begin this week and will continue throughout the summer on the following days:

Tuesday 6pm-8pm&Thursday 6pm-8pm

Nets are open to all players who desire to play senior cricket for the club in the coming season.

Ayr team up with All Rounder Cricket

Ayr Cricket Club has teamed up with www.allroundercricket.com to bring the club its very own online shop.The online shop allows players to order Surridge playing and training kit instantly.

All Rounder Cricket offer a range of playing equipment with some of the lowest prices on offer.Please have a look around the online shop by following the link above.

Rutherford Return

Ayr Cricket Club has signed 22 year old Hamish Rutherford from Otago, New Zealand. Hamish was amateur at the club back in 2007 and has developed significantly since his last visit. Hamish was part of the Otago t20 squad that travelled to South Africa to compete in the Champions League in 2009. Hamish returned to Scotland in 2010 as Professional for Division 1 side Stenhousemuir.

Hamish scored his maiden first class century last week against Northern District in the Plunket Shield, One day later he then made his second hundred in the same match to ensure his team where able to earn a draw.

Hamish has an attacking attitude to cricket and he will add fire power to the Ayr batting line up, his slow left arm bowling will also come in handy in what the club hopes will be a successful season on the field.

Ayr Cricket Club would like to encourage all members and past members to get down to the club as much as possible this summer to enjoy the cricket and support the senior teams competing on Saturdays.

"Let's make 2012 a year to remember"

2012 is going to be a great year for Ayr Cricket Club and we need everyone to be part of it, its not just the players who can enjoy cricket its often behind the scenes where the most enjoyment is had.

Ayr Cricket Club has some fantastic support from Local Businesses and Members and we rely heavily on them to ensure that the club can be successful year after year.

If you would be interested in getting involved with the section whether that be helping out organising fundraising events or if you wish to sponsor a match or team get in contact with us, we try to reach everyone to ask if they wish to help but sometimes we miss people that might want to help.

If you can be of any help to the Cricket Section please get in touch through the contact form

If you own or work for a local business then get in contact we have some fantastic opportunities to increase local exposure for your business through our match reports and media coverage throughout the season as well as our website that gets hundreds of visits daily.

The future of Ayr Cricket Club is in everyone’s hands.

Juniors Return Outdoors

Last Years Prize Winners

Friday night junior training will begin for 2012 on the 20th April at 6.30pm.

Will be great to get everyone outside again and hopefully see lots of faces that are familiar returning for another year of fun filled cricket during the summer months.

If you have never been along to play at our club before come along on Fridays and join in, we have lots of talented coaches and groups to accommodate all level of players.

Ground Under Repair

If you have been down to the club this week you may have wondered what the black "things" are over at the nets. The run ups and surrounding areas have been repaired by the groundsman this week and we are hoping to get everything nice and flat for the start of the outdoor practises in early April, so if your down the club and want to use the nets that is not going to be possible till the sheets have been removed.

Senior outdoor practise will begin on Thursday the 5th April at 6pm-8pm.

Coloured Kits

This is the New Coloured Kits for this years Scottish Cup fixtures!!

Season Looming

Wont be long till the season now, with the sun out and temperature rising over the last few days, the square and outfield have been given their first cut for the season.

Things are slowly coming together for 2012 so if your in the area pop down and have a look around!!

Dates for outdoor nets starting will be coming soon.

Race Night

Ayr Cricket Club are hosting a Race Night on the 24th March in the clubhouse to raise funds for the Junior Section.

The night is to be enjoyed by all members of the section and would be great to see a good family turnout from as many as possible.

You can sponsor a race, horse or jockey before the night and have your name printed in the Race Card on the night by contacting Douglas Johnstone 07809 432135

See you there!!

Ayr Win Moongoose Cricket Bat

Ayr Cricket Club have won a Mongoose COR3 Super Premium cricket bat in a national competition run by cricket equipment suppliers www.allroundercricket.com. All Rounder Cricket have a huge Cricket equipment store selling all brands at the most competitive prices in the UK. Kit is chosen by current & ex pros. Supply Adidas Teamwear to Clubs, why not have a look round their website and see for yourself what’s new for 2012......

LocalLife Ayr

Ayr Cricket Club are delighted to announce that they will be named LocaLife Ayr again for the 2012 season. Ayr CC has been sponsored for the past three seasons by LocalLife and would like to thank them for their ongoing support of the section.

Locallife is the place to go for all that's local - with listings, maps & directions, special offers, websites and much more to help you make those all-important local decisions. Visit http://locallife.co.uk/ayrshire to find out whats happening in Ayrshire!!

Ayr India show support

Ayr India has agreed to continue their partnership with Ayr Cricket Club into 2012 and beyond. Ayr CC has been sponsored for the past three seasons by Ayr India and would like to thank them for their ongoing support of the section.

Since they began sponsoring the club they have opened up a new restaurant in Ayr, Alloway Place and the team have been along to sample some of the delicious Indian cuisine on offer. Ayr India has a fabulous reputation and their excellent menu and restaurant atmosphere allows every customer to have a great dinning experience.

Scotland start T20 preperation with a win

The Scotland squad, supported by PROBIZ, are currently undertaking a training camp in the capital, Colombo. Today they started the tour with a win over Sri Lanka A.Scotland made a swift transition from four day cricket to T20 as they secured a victory over Sri Lanka A in Colombo earlier today. This was their first preration match on the road to next month’s ICC World T20 Qualifying tournament, as they recorded a six wicket win.

The Scotland squad, supported by PROBIZ, are currently undertaking a training camp in the countries capital, Colombo.

Today's fixture was the first in a series of T20 and one day matches for Gordon Drummond's side as they look ahead to the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifiers in the UAE throughout March. Sri Lanka batted first on a wicket that looked pretty green and set the Scot’s the target of 157-7 from their allotted 20 overs. Preston Mommsen and Safyaan Sharif contributed with three important wickets each. Mommsen’s spell only conceded 23 runs from 4 overs.

In reply, Calum MacLeod showed some of the power-hitting that he is becoming renowned for- his sparkling 65 off 38 balls helped the Scot’s reach the Sri Lanka A target with 10 balls still remaining and start the tour off in impressive style.

After the match coach Pete Steindl said “it was a good first hit out for the lads in the T20 format. We adapted to the quicker and more attacking natures of the game well and the guys stood up to their roles well. It was a challenging environment and tough opposition, so it was a pleasing start to our campaign”.

Although the match had no official ICC status, it is a significant victory for the young Scottish side and should prove to be invaluable experience for the matches ahead.

Scotland will be in action again tomorrow against one of Sri Lanka's Premier League teams, again in the capital Colombo.

"Scooter" heads South

Scott McElnea will be travelling to South Africa in March to take part in a 2 week Cricket Camp in preparation for the Under 19 World Cup that is fast approaching in August 2012. Scott took 19 wickets at an average of 18.26 with best figures of 4-34 for Ayr last season and was the spearhead of the attack throughout the season.

In the coming year Scott will be pushing himself hard to ensure that he makes the final squad that travels to Queensland from 11-26 August and Australia will defend the title it won in New Zealand two years ago when it defeated Pakistan in the final by 25 run. Scotland have been drawn in "Group B" alongside New Zealand, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Coaching the Scotland squad will be Craig Wright, a former Scotland U19 player himself, commented “the players have demonstrated a great deal of determination, commitment and hard work to develop their games over the two years they have been together during World Cup qualification. They have fully earned the right to compete in the World Cup through their performances throughout that process. The challenge for us is to continue finding ways of improving individually and collectively in our preparation to enable us to go to the tournament and make an impact”.

It will be a good opportunity for Scott to show former club professional Matthew Horne how he has developed when he could come up against some of Matt’s young Kiwis, Matthew Horne who spent five successful years with Ayr from 2003-2008 is the Head Coach of the New Zealand under 19s.

Scott will again be sponsored by Simpson & Partners in 2012.

Cricket Calendar to Download

The calendar has every game for the summer available at a glance allowing you to make plans in advance for all fixtures. Weather permitting it looks likes a action packed summer ahead for all teams at the club right through from our under 11s to the first eleven. Kicking off on the 14th April and finishing on the 1st September. Good luck to all players in the coming season!

Cricket Scotland have announced that cricket ball manufacturer Lords International will provide pink balls for the 2012 Scottish Cup.

Lords International, the main sponsors of the Western District Cricket Union, Western Cricket Academy and West Regional Development Centre have strengthened their relationship with the domestic game in Scotland by agreeing to provide the balls for the 2012 Scottish Cup.

Following the restructuring of the domestic game in Scotland the 2012 Scottish Cup will be contested by the 32 clubs in the Cricket Scotland League, initially in eight groups of four, leading to the knock out stages.

A major initiative this year is the optional use of coloured clothing which will become mandatory in 2013. With this new initiative the competition will be played with a pink ball, thus negating the need for black sightscreens. Lords International has agreed to supply the pink balls to Cricket Scotland free of charge.Abu Najmi, Lords International Managing Director commented, ‘We are delighted to give Cricket Scotland the pink balls for this year’s Scottish Cup. We have developed an excellent relationship with the Western District Cricket Union and see this as a great opportunity to let the other clubs in the country use our product.Cricket Scotland’s Administration Manager, Ramsay Allan said “This generous support from Lords International allows Cricket Scotland to provide match balls for the Scottish Cup to the clubs free of charge which is very welcome at this time when clubs are trying to keep costs to a minimum”.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Robbie Henderson and Elliot Speirs who have been selected for trials for Scotland Under 15's and under 17's. The trials comprise a number of sessions, indoor and outdoor, at the National Cricket Academy in Edinburgh. Congratulations toboth players and good luck in the trial sessions from everyone at the club.

No return for Papps

Ayr Cricket Club would like to thanks Michael Papps for his services to the club for the last 3 years.

Michael has informed the club this week that he wont be returning for the 2012 season, but has stated that he would like to return in the near future.

Over the last 3 seasons Michael has been an outstanding performer for the club and will be greatly missed, he has scored 2727 runs with 11 hundreds at an average of 90.90 with a highest score of 160* in 42 SNCL matches. Along with his impressive batting numbers Michael also took 44 wickets at an average of 29.02.

The club wish Michael Papps all the very best and hope that he will return in the near future.

Scotland win in Sharjah

They were made to work hard in the end but Scotland yesterday completed a morale-boosting Intercontinental Cup win over UAE at the Sharjah Stadium.

Having dismissed their hosts for 100 on day one before opening up a 205-run lead, the Saltires may have had their eyes on an innings victory.However, they spent the whole of Saturday in the field and were finally set a potentially tricky victory target of 114 yesterday.

Following a minor scare which saw them slump to 40-3, they clinched their first win of the campaign with seven wickets to spare and it was apt that their two biggest heroes – Majid Haq and Richie Berrington – were together at the end.

Haq sent down a marathon 57.2 overs during the match while claiming five wickets while Berrington, of course, recorded his maiden first-class century.

Having seen Ewan Chalmers, Ryan Flannigan and Preston Mommsen depart cheaply, the pair refused to panic, simply waiting for any loose deliveries and dispatching them clinically.

Berrington top-scored again, facing 60 balls for his 42 which included five boundaries and a six. However, Haq’s 39 runs were just as important and it was the Clydesdale player who finished the match with a flourish when hitting Saqib Ali’s delivery over the boundary for his second maximum.

Earlier, the Scottish bowlers had stuck to their task to claim the UAE’s final three wickets with a minimum of fuss. Gordon Goudie’s late three-wicket burst on Saturday had done the bulk of the damage, particularly when he had top scorer Saqib caught by Chalmers for 76.

Amjad Javed and Fayyaz Ahmed did their best to stall the Scots in the morning session, but Safyaan Sharif removed both in quick succession before Haq completed a three-wicket haul by bowling Mohammed Tauqir.

Coach Pete Steindl said: “It was fitting that Maj and Richie were in the middle at the end, given what they contributed to this game. We talk a lot about players taking responsibility and being not out at the end in a winning team – and they have done that.

“But everyone in the team contributed at some stage and we showed real professionalism when the pressure was on.

“It was hard work but that makes the victory even more satisfying.”

Scotland’s first win of this I-Cup campaign sees them jump from sixth to second in the eight-team table and their next challenge in this competition comes against Canada at Mannofield in July.

Meanwhile, the Scots fly to Sri Lanka tomorrow for a training camp before returning to Sharjah for two one-day matches against UAE.

Steindl Commits to Scotland For a Further Three Years

On the eve of the national side’s departure for a seven week tour to the UAE and Sri Lanka, Cricket Scotland are delighted to confirm that Scotland’s head coach Peter Steindl has agreed to a 3 year extension to his contract, committing him to leading Scotland’s national side until December 2014.

Steindl (41) was appointed as head coach in 2008 and has overseen a significant overhaul of the national team’s personnel as it has undertaken a rebuilding phase- following the retirements of a number of senior players.

In the last two years, his young and developing side have performed exceptionally well, winning 11 of its 15 one day games against Associate sides which included 9 wins from 13 ODIs played against Associate teams. In this time they have been runners up in the last World Cricket League Division 1 and Intercontinental Cup competitions.

Scotland name touring squads

The Intercontinental Cup squad will depart from Glasgow Airport on Friday 10 February in preparation for their ICC Intercontinental Cup game against the UAE which will take place between the 16th and 19th of February.

This will be Scotland’s third game in the 2011-2013 competition, following a rain affected draw with Holland and a winning draw against Namibia.

Missing from that squad will be batsman Josh Davey, who is currently in South Africa with Middlesex as part of his rehabilitation from surgery late last year, while Kyle Coetzer will also miss out, due to his participation in the Bangladesh Premier League.

Fixtures 2012

Cricket Scotland has today released the fixtures for the 2012 Cricket Scotland League and the new revamped Scottish Cup.The SNCL has been renamed the Cricket Scotland League (CSL) and will consist of a Western and Eastern Conference each of 16 teams. The Conferences will consist of a Premier Division and First Division of eight teams.

The construction of the 2012 fixture card will see the first attempt to combine both League and Cup competitions on Saturdays across the season, whilst accommodating regional and national club cricket.

The new Scottish Cup involves all 32 CSL clubs divided into eight groups of four, with one team from each CSL Division in each group. The teams will play each other home and away on six Saturdays, three at the start of the season and three half way through the season. The group winners will progress to the quarter finals of the Scottish Cup with the group runners up progressing to the quarter finals of the SCU Trophy.

Last year’s Cup holders, Tunnocks Uddingston start the defence of the Cup with a home fixture against Cricket Scotland League ‘new boys’ Fauldhouse while last year’s SNCL Champions, Carlton start with a local derby against Heriots.

Cricket Scotland Announce New Domestic Structure

Following the work of the Future Structures Group and the meeting of SNCL clubs on October 9th 2011, Cricket Scotland has continued its consideration of the issue of senior domestic league structures.

Cricket Scotland has been informed by the views of local associations, member clubs, SNCL clubs, and players, both before and after the meeting of SNCL clubs. Cricket Scotland is clear that the primary function of its clubs moving forward must be to grow the game by creating a large network of stronger clubs and developing more and better players. This will be achieved by increasing the number of opportunities to play at all levels, improving playing and training facilities and creating a strong coaching culture within clubs.

Cricket Scotland has always been consistent in our belief that a more localised competition structure and a focus on building a broader base for the club game in Scotland will enhance the ability of the clubs to grow their participation numbers, whilst the on-going development of the academies, three regional teams and Scotland Lions programme will provide the elevated platform for those aspiring to international level.

After debate and taking all factors into consideration, the governing body has concluded that to retain a national league is not consistent with the vision for growing and developing the game at club level in Scotland. It is fully accepted that this will not please all clubs, but Cricket Scotland must make decisions in the best interest of the long term development of the game and not individual clubs.

As a result, an alternative proposal was submitted by the professional staff to the Board of Directors of Cricket Scotland Holdings Limited ("CSHL"). This proposal covers both league and national cup competitions and will give a balance between regional and national club cricket. Four regional leagues, two in the west and two in the east will be enhanced by a larger national cup competition played initially in a group stage.

The Board of both CSHL and the trading company, Cricket Scotland Limited, are agreed that this new structure is in the best interests of the vast majority of former SNCL clubs, and of the future development of the game in Scotland. The new structure has been ratified by both Boards and will be implemented immediately and be in place for the start of the 2012 season.

The Competitions Management Group, who will manage the new league and cup competitions, met today and will start the process of confirming fixtures, rules and playing conditions in due course.

Andy Tennant, Chair of the Domestic Cricket Committee, stated ‘It was clear throughout recent discussions that there were both strong views and a lack of consensus throughout our senior clubs. We have taken our time to look at all the options and talk further to our clubs and regional associations. In the end, Cricket Scotland have to do what we believe is right for the long term growth of our game and will implement a new structure next year. We firmly believe the new structure will enable clubs to plan effectively, grow their membership, keep players in the game for longer, and spend their resources on developing their entire club’.

Dunfermline relegated following illegal payments scandal

Cricket Scotland statement in regard to Dunfermline CC

Cricket Scotland approached Dunfermline Cricket Club (DCC) in relation to allegations that they had in 2011 and previous seasons made payments to players that were above the permitted level. After a number of meetings between CS and DCC to discuss the allegations, the Board of Cricket Scotland’s decision is that DCC will be relegated one division within the structure of domestic cricket in Scotland. DCC have accepted this decision.Neither Cricket Scotland or Dunfermline CC will make any further comment on this matter.

Scotland v England on Sky

Cricket Scotland has today announced that Sky Sports will be in the Scottish capital on the 12 August 2012, to broadcast the third One Day International encounter, between Scotland v England at the Citylets Grange, Edinburgh.

Travelling supporters can rest assured; there will be no lack of entertainment throughout their Scottish stay, with the Edinburgh International Festival also taking place in the city in the month of August.

Paul King, Sky Sports Executive Cricket Producer said: “It will be exciting to see a new team of Scottish cricketers and assess their chances of qualifying for future ICC events. I’m sure they will give England a tough game on home soil.”

Roddy Smith, Cricket Scotland Chief Executive said “We are delighted at the news that Sky will be covering our match against England. With significant improvements on the field, it will be another fantastic opportunity for our guys to showcase their talents and give cricket in Scotland more important exposure”.

This fixture is part of Sky’s year round dedication to cricket, with coverage every month of the year including England overseas every winter and at home every summer plus county, women’s and youth cricket.

Scotland V England 2012

Cricket Scotland today announced (16 November) that the Citylets Grange will be the venue for their One Day International match against England in August 2012.The Stockbridge ground has been the main home of the national side for the last fifteen years and hosted its first ODI during the world cup in 1999, when Scotland played Bangladesh. Since then it has hosted a further nine One Day International’s, most recently against Sri Lanka last year.It will be the third occasion that England has travelled north to Edinburgh, following previous matches at the ground in 2008 and 2010.Roddy Smith, Cricket Scotland Chief Executive commented, ‘We are delighted that we can host this game, which will be the highlight of the 2012 season, at the Citylets Grange. The playing facility is excellent, as was shown when the Scotland team chased down 320 to beat Ireland last year. Our plans for the match are already well under way.’Grange Club Secretary, Gordon Tolland, was also delighted by the announcement. “It’s always a privilege for the Grange to host a match like this. Scotland is making great progress, and watching the team in action against one of the best cricket sides in the world promises to be a fantastic day.”Cricket Scotland is set to announce ticketing arrangements for the match within the next couple of weeks.

Celtic Cup on the agenda

SCOTTISH cricket chiefs are in talks with their Irish counterparts over the formation of a.The new tournament, which could be introduced as early as next summer, would pit Scotland’s three Regional Teams against Provincial sides representing the north and south of Ireland.Cricket Scotland’s Head of Performance Andy Tennant revealed: “We have had very positives discussions with our colleagues from Cricket Ireland about the possibility of a new one-day competition.“From our point of view it would push our existing Regional Series to the next level.“We see it as a six-team tournament playing one-day cricket with matches taking place both in Scotland and Ireland.“Our plans are at an early stage but we would like to see the new competition introduced as soon as possible – ideally in 2012.”Scotland’s Regional Tri-Series – featuring sides from the West, East and North –was introduced last year.Caledonian Highlanders won the inaugural event and successfully defended their title this summer.

Michael Papps seeks a capital gain

He may have thought differently as he lay exhausted after yesterday's yo-yo fitness test, but Michael Papps insists it's the best move he could have made.Thirteen years wearing his beloved red and black striped cap, 95 first-class matches and a record 6663 runs for Canterbury, Papps suddenly pulled stumps in July and announced a move to the capital.So there he was at the Mana nets yesterday, the eight-test New Zealand opener wearing Firebirds yellow and black. And insisting nothing sinister, other than the need to give his career a shot in the arm, was behind the departure from his home town."It was tough. Canterbury's the only thing I've known, and growing up all I wanted to do was play for Canterbury and New Zealand."But times change and I felt as though something different and something new would be exciting. Just get out of my comfort zone and really push myself to try and get back in that New Zealand team which is still definitely a big goal," he said.At 32, Papps thought it was now or never. His last test was against a fired-up Dale Steyn in South Africa in November 2007. The selectors didn't come calling again despite him averaging 60 in 2008-09, and 49 the following season. Last summer he tailed off, averaging 30.73 from 16 innings.He told Canterbury coach Bob Carter and chief executive Lee Germon his reasons for shifting. "There was no animosity, certainly nothing negative," and they were supportive.And with new coach Jamie Siddons, the renowned batting technician, taking over in Wellington, Papps saw an opportunity. The Siddons mantra is, put simply, elevate the backlift and give the ball a good whack."I feel I've got unfinished business. I'm keen to get back in there and push my claims domestically. In the last few years I've scored as many runs as I have in the past so it's just a matter of kicking on and maybe trying to expand my game a little bit."He's been welcomed with open arms by his new team-mates, and found some digs in Khandallah. Many were regular foes on the domestic scene and he knows them well.A solid club man for East Christchurch Shirley, whom he rushed back to play for at every opportunity, Papps vows to do the same at Collegians. His father, Terry, played for Collegians, and Papps junior has already met his new clubmates.Opening weekend, two Twenty20 matches, is on October 22-23 and Papps will be there. "I'm looking forward to getting amongst it with them." And he wants to play all formats for Wellington, including T20.Papps' eye is in, having scored 950 runs from 12 innings for Ayr in the Scottish league over the winter. He was mid-table in yesterday's fitness session (fellow opener Stephen Murdoch won with an impressive yo-yo score of 20.4), but can't wait to get the pads on."There's a few more nerves and a bit more uncertainty meeting new guys. But that's an exciting thing, it keeps you on your toes. I want to come here and do well and repay the faith they've shown."I feel pretty confident coming off a good winter. With that background and hopefully a few technical things that the guys are working on I'm looking forward to a big season and hopefully score a lot of runs."

Ayr gain Silver TOP Club Award

Ayr Cricket Club has become the fourth Club in Scotland to be awarded the prestigious Silver TOP Club award by Cricket Scotland and in doing so become only the second SNCL Club to reach the Silver level. The certificate presentation was part of the Club’s junior presentation night, at which juniors aged 4-18 were receiving medals and trophies for their accomplishments over the season.

At the presentation, Cricket Scotland’s Head of Community Development Steve Paige said “I congratulate Ayr Cricket Club on their fantastic achievement with regards to reaching Silver TOP Club, it is clear that the hard work put in by the volunteers, parents and players is rightly paying dividends for the Club, Ayr are a Club I view as a model of good practice and one for others to follow"

Ayr Cricket Club Social Networking

The club now has Twitter and Facebook pages so "follow" and "like""us to stay up to date with what's happening throughout the year at the club. All events and team selection will be added to the website throughout the summer months so be sure to keep up to date with us online.Click on the icons on the homepage to find us!

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